In January 4, 1853, Solomon Northup finally breathed the sweet air of freedom again. Northup was an African-American man born in July 1808 in Minerva, New York. Born a free man in a time when slavery was still legal in the United States, Northup…
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On January 3, 2020, the Middle East — and much of the world — awoke to news that dramatically reshaped global geopolitics: Qasem Soleimani, one of Iran’s most powerful military figures, had been killed in a U.S. airstrike near Baghdad International Airport. The targeted…
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On January 3, 1521, Pope Leo X issued the papal bull Decet Romanum Pontificem, a move that reshaped Christianity in Europe and excommunicated Martin Luther from the Catholic Church. Born in 1483 in Eisleben, Germany, Luther’s journey toward excommunication began in earnest in 1517 when…
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On January 2, 1974, President Richard Nixon signed legislation imposing a nationwide maximum speed limit of 55 miles per hour. This historic decision was a direct response to the energy crisis triggered by the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) oil embargo. Facing fuel…
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On January 1, 1892, a small island in New York Harbor officially became the primary gateway to the United States for millions seeking a new life. That morning, Ellis Island opened its doors as the nation’s first federally operated immigration station, marking a turning…
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On January 1, 45 BC, Julius Caesar changed the way the West marked their calendars, making January 1 the first day of the new year. Prior to the Julian reform, the Roman calendar was a complex lunar calendar that often fell out of phase…
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On December 31, 1759, a relatively obscure Irish brewer made one of the most consequential business decisions in history. Arthur Guinness, then 34 years old, signed a lease that would become legendary: a 9,000-year agreement on a dilapidated brewery site at St. James’s Gate…
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On December 31, 1879, Thomas Alva Edison forever changed the world by publicly showcasing his incandescent electric light bulb at his Menlo Park laboratory in New Jersey. This groundbreaking event marked a pivotal moment in history, symbolizing humanity’s shift from the flickering glow…
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On December 30, 1853, the United States finalized the Gadsden Purchase, a land deal with Mexico that reshaped the map of the Southwest and reflected the era’s fixation on expansion, commerce, and continental infrastructure. For $10 million, the U.S. acquired roughly 29,670 square miles…
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On December 30, 1813, British troops crossed the icy Niagara River and set fire to the American village of Buffalo, New York, reducing much of the settlement to ashes and marking one of the most destructive episodes along the northern frontier during the War…
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