01/24 - Frederick the Great

Frequent readers may have noted that I rarely include rulers and potentates, emperors, kings, queens, khans and kagans, sultans, presidents, dictators and the like among the noteworthy who were born or died on a given day. Today, however, there are two exceptions.

The first, the emperor Claudius, is included mostly for the manner in which he ascended to power. The praetorian guard, having just assassinated Caligula found him hiding in a closet or under a bed or something, thought, "ah, harmless, he'll do just fine", and put him on the throne.

The other, a most noteworthy person, is Frederick the Great of Prussia, a man who well earned the sobriquet "The Great" and about whom relatively few seem know very much; "a king, a great military leader, yeah, yeah, so what". He actually was a most interesting person who led a most interesting life meriting at least one good read. A flautist, composer, patron of the arts and enlightenment, author, modernizer, friend and promoter of science who was surprisingly liberal for a potentate of the era, let along a Prussian King. A probable homosexual whose youthful behavior gave his father absolute fits and more.

On this day in history:

41 – Claudius was proclaimed Roman emperor by the Praetorian Guard 1679 – King Charles II of England dissolved the Cavalier Parliament. 1835 – Slaves in Salvador da Bahia, Brazil, staged a revolt 1848 – James W. Marshall found gold at Sutter's Mill near Sacramento, California 1857 – The University of Calcutta was formally founded 1908 – The first Boy Scout troop was organized in England by Robert Baden-Powell. 1916 – The Supremes declared the federal income tax constitutional (Brushaber v. Union Pacific Railroad Co.) 1918 – The Gregorian calendar was introduced in Russia 1933 – The 20th Amendment to the US Constitution was ratified 1943 – FDR and Winston Churchill concluded a conference in Casablanca. 1946 – The UN General Assembly passed its first resolution establishing the UN Atomic Energy Commission. 1961 – A bomber carrying two H-bombs broke up in mid-air over North Carolina. 1978 – Soviet satellite Kosmos 954 burned up in Earth's atmosphere, scattering radioactive debris over Canada's Northwest Territories. 1990 – Japan launched the country's first lunar probe, Hiten 2003 – The US Department of Homeland Security officially began operation.

Born this day in:

“If only we'd stop trying to be happy, we could have a pretty good time.”

~~ Edith Wharton 1664 – John Vanbrugh, architect and dramatist 1670 – William Congreve, playwright and poet 1679 – Christian Wolff, philosopher and academic 1712 – Frederick the Great, flautist king 1754 – Andrew Ellicott, soldier and surveyor 1776 – E. T. A. Hoffmann, jurist, author, and composer (see "tales of ...") 1814 – John Colenso, mathematician 1848 – Vasily Surikov, painter 1850 – Hermann Ebbinghaus, psychologist 1858 – Constance Naden, poet and philosopher 1862 – Edith Wharton, novelist and short story writer 1863 – August Adler, mathematician 1872 – Konstantin Bogaevsky, painter 1882 – Harold D. Babcock, astronomer 1901 – Cassandre, painter 1906 – Wilfred Jackson, animator and composer 1910 – Doris Haddock, political activist 1915 – Robert Motherwell, painter and academic 1920 – Jimmy Forrest, saxophonist 1926 – Ruth Asawa, sculptor 1928 – Desmond Morris, zoologist, ethologist, and painterr 1930 – John Romita Sr., comic book artist 1931 – Lars Hörmander, mathematician and academic 1932 – Éliane Radigue, electronic music composer 1936 – Doug Kershaw, fiddle player and singer 1938 – Julius Hemphill, saxophonist and composer 1939 – Ray Stevens, singer, songwriter, and actor 1941 – Neil Diamond, singer, songwriter, and guitarist 1944 – David Gerrold, science fiction screenwriter and author 1947 – Michio Kaku, physicist and academic 1947 – Warren Zevon, singer and songwriter 1955 – Alan Sokal, physicist and author 1958 – Jools Holland, singer, songwriter, and pianist 1965 – Margaret Urlich, singer and songwriter 1968 – Antony Garrett Lisi, theoretical physicist 1972 – Beth Hart, blues-rock singer and piano player 1974 – Rokia Traoré, singer

Died this day in:

The function of art is to struggle against obligation.

~~ Amedeo Modigliani 1125 – Franciabigio, painter 1881 – James Collinson, painter 1920 – Percy French, songwriter, entertainer and artist 1920 – Amedeo Modigliani, painter and sculptor 1939 – Maximilian Bircher-Benner, physician, created Muesli 1962 – André Lhote, sculptor and painter 1971 – Bill W., activist, co-founder of Alcoholics Anonymous 2016 – Marvin Minsky, computer scientist and academic 2017 – Butch Trucks, drummer

Holidays, Holy Days, Festivals, Feast Days, Days of Recognition, and such: National Peanut Butter Day National Just Do It Day Belly Laugh Day

Music goes here, iirc, well, With apologies ;-)

Frederick the Great

Jimmy Forrest

Doug Kershaw

Ray Stevens

Neil Diamond