Anniversaries and commemorations come and go daily. Most of us, even the best historians, miss most occasions. If we think of history as events then we are faced with a continually showering in the grains of sand. Nevertheless, we do pick out certain patterns in the remembrance of historical dates. The blog here reminds us of some dates where the local, state, national, and global perspectives entwine.
What Time is It? It is flow of a sandstorm that will on each day compress somewhere into a structure – sandstone, selected and only remembered in the longue durée.
| 17 January 1871 | David Beatty, 1st Earl Beatty, British admiral (d. 1936) |
| 17 January 1871 | Nicolae Iorga born, 34th Prime Minister of Romania (d. 1940) |
| 17 January 1896 | Fourth Anglo-Ashanti War: British redcoats enter the Ashanti capital, Kumasi, and Asantehene Agyeman Prempeh I is deposed. |
| Monday, 17 January 1921 | Herb Ellis born, American actor |
| Monday, 17 January 1921 | Asghar Khan born, Pakistani politician born, military officer (d. 2018) |
| Thursday, 17 January 1946 | The United Nations Security Council holds its first session at Church House, Westminster in London. |
| Thursday, 17 January 1946 | United States Senator Dennis Chávez (D-NM) calls for a vote on a Fair Employment Practice Committee bill which calls for an end to discrimination in the workplace. A filibuster prevents it from passing. |
| Tuesday, 17 January 1961 | President Dwight Eisenhower gives his final State of the Union Address to Congress. In a Farewell Address the same day, he warns of the increasing power of a “military–industrial complex.” |
| Tuesday, 17 January 1961 | Patrice Lumumba of Republic of Congo is assassinated. |
| Tuesday, 17 January 1961 | Maia Chiburdanidze born, Georgian chess player |
| Tuesday, 17 January 1961 | Patrice Lumumba died, 1st Prime Minister of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (b. 1925) |
| Sunday, 17 January 1971 | Peter Winter born, track and field decathlete |
| Sunday, 17 January 1971 | Kid Rock born, American rock singer |
| Saturday, 17 January 1981 | Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos lifts martial law. |
| Saturday, 17 January 1981 | Scott Mechlowicz born, American actor |
| Saturday, 17 January 1981 | Ray J born, American rapper and singer |
| Thursday, 17 January 1991 | The Gulf War begins, with Prime Minister Bob Hawke giving battle orders to the Navy stationed in the Gulf after a telephone call from President Bush. |
| Thursday, 17 January 1991 | A siege takes place in Brisbane after an off-duty policeman is taken hostage. |
| Thursday, 17 January 1991 | The unemployment rate falls to 8.1% |
| Thursday, 17 January 1991 | Victorian Premier Joan Kirner axes two government departments. |
| Thursday, 17 January 1991 | Gulf War: Iraq fires eight Scud missiles into Israel. |
| Thursday, 17 January 1991 | Harald V of Norway becomes king on the death of his father, Olav V. |
| Thursday, 17 January 1991 | The volcano Hekla erupts on Iceland. |
| Thursday, 17 January 1991 | King Olav V of Norway (b. 1903) |
| Wednesday, 17 January 1996 | Nile Wilson born, British artistic gymnast |
| Wednesday, 17 January 1996 | Caitlin Sanchez born, American actress |
| Wednesday, 17 January 1996 | Barbara Jordan died, American politician (b. 1936) |
| Wednesday, 17 January 2001 | Employment Minister Tony Abbott advocates Work for the Dole for all persons unemployed for more than six months. |
| Monday, 17 January 2011 | The Commission of Inquiry into the 2010–11 Queensland floods is established to investigate matters related to the Queensland floods. |
| Monday, 17 January 2011 | Steve Prestwich died, 56, drummer with Cold Chisel |
Images Citations in Composite: ID 17208541 © Anhong | Dreamstime.com; ID 35001957 © DiversityStudio1 | Dreamstime.com; ID 156394527 © Gerd Zahn | Dreamstime.com
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Neville Buch
Professional Historian at Professional Historians Association (Queensland) Inc.
Neville Buch (Pronounced Book) Ph.D. is a certified member of the Professional Historians Association (Queensland). Since 2010 he has operated a sole trade business in history consultancy. He was a Q ANZAC 100 Fellow 2014-2015 at the State Library of Queensland. Dr Buch was the PHA (Qld) e-Bulletin, the monthly state association’s electronic publication, and was a member of its Management Committee. He is the Managing Director of the Brisbane Southside History Network.