TODAY - January 7

 

NIELS’ MORNING GREETINGS

ON: JANUARY 7

New 2021 edition

TODAY’s LENGTH:

This day is here in Belgium 14 minutes longer than December 21. Its length is 8 hours and 12 minutes – from 08.43 to 16.55.

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

TODAY’s NAME:

This day is called CANUTE’s DAY.  It comes from Knud ( Canute ) Lavard, who on this day in the year 1131 was killed – 35 years old in Haraldsted Forest near Ringsted in Denmark. The killer was his cousin Magnus.

Knud was governor in the south of Jutland, and the whole family was gathered in Roskilde for Christmas celebrations. But king Niels’ son Magnus was afraid, that Knud intended to become king. Therefore, he killed him.  This started a revolution, and king Niels was murdered in Slesvig three years later.

Knud’s son, Valdemar the Great, arranged 38 years after the murder that the Pope made his father a Saint.

The day’s name in Belgium is SAINT RAYMONT – after af Spanish Chistian, living in the years 1175-1275.

TODAY FROM EARLIER IN JANUARY:   TODAY 2021 - JANUARY

 

TODAY’s EVENT:

1558:  France conquers Calais – the last British piece of land in continental Europe.

TODAY’s QUESTION:

Achilles’ heel – where does that come from? And what does it mean?

This expression comes from the Greek mythology. The ancient Greek hero Achilles, who was the main person in the Iliad of Homer, was by his mother Thetis dipped in the river Styx. In this way be became invulnerable.  When the mother dipped him she held him by his heels – meaning that they did not become wet. Therefore, they continued to be vulnerable.

When Achilles later was fighting near Troy he was hit by the arrows of Paris – and died.

When the tendon linking the peroneus with the top of the heel bone is called the Achilles tendon it has its origin in the Iliad.

Today you use the expression Achilles heel you refer to somebody’s weak point, where he can be hit – in the figurative sense.  So where is your Achilles heel??

 

QUESTION FOR TOMORROW:

The bird Phoenix – 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:

A man who never went to school might steal from railway carriage. But if he has a university degree he might steal the whole railway!

            This was said by the American president Theodore Roosevelt.

2.  Today’s quote:

None of today’s persons has contributed with famous quotations.  So I will give you another one by Theodore Roosevelt.

The most successful politician is the one saying what everybody thinks and saying very loudly!

3.  Famous people born on this day:

1663:  Arni Magnusson  ( died 1730 )

1800:  Millard Filmore  ( died 1879 )

1821:  Carl Christian Burmeister  ( died 1898 )

1941:  Iona Brown  ( died 2004 )

1964:  Nicolas Cage

 

4.  Famous people died on this day:

1131:  Canute Lavard  ( 35 years )

1972:  Bodil Koch  ( 69 years )

1989:  Hirohito  ( 88 years )

1992:  Ejlif Krogager  ( 82 years )

 

Niels Jørgen Thøgersen

niels4europe@gmail.com  

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



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