January 6 Dateline

January 6 is Epiphany

Epiphany is a Christian feast day that celebrates the revelation of God incarnate as Jesus Christ. In Western Christianity, the feast commemorates principally the visit of the Magi to the Christ Child, and thus Jesus' physical manifestation to the Gentiles. Epiphany, or the 12th day of Christmas, falls on January 6 and marks the official end to the festive season for many Christians. ... The six Sundays which follow Epiphany are known as the time of manifestation. (We Three Kings of Orient Are. Uploaded by jared82ca. Accessed January 6, 2020.) The song is sung by Jennifer Avalon, accompanied by the lyrics (in English). Both the lyrics and the music were written by John Henry Hopkins, Jr. circa 1857, then an ordained deacon in the Episcopal Church, who was instrumental in organizing an elaborate holiday pageant (which featured this song) for the students of the General Theological Seminary in New York City while serving as the seminary's music director. The song tells the story of the Magi (found in the Bible's Book of Matthew Chapter 2) traveling to visit to the Christ Child, guided only by the Star of Bethlehem. Also, here's King's College Choir of Cambridge with the traditional "We Three Kings of Orient Are" hymn.  YouTube, uploaded by drwestbury. Accessed January 6, 2012.

   The Three Kings.  Image Credit: Dayton UMC

 

Birthdays

1567 - Richard Burbage,  English stage actor, theatre owner and painter, considered one of the most famous actors of the Globe Theatre in his time. He was a friend to William Shakespeare.

1838 - Max Bruch, German Romantic composer, teacher, and conductor who wrote over 200 works, including three violin concertos, the first of which has become a staple of the violin repertory. (Sharing a personal favourite, Bruch's Violin Concerto No. 1 Op. 26, played by Akiko Suwanai, conducted by Eliahu Inbal, with the Orchestra Sinfonica Nazionale della Rai Turin, 1998. Uploaded by Roberto Mastrosimone. January 6, 2013.)  

1872 - Aleksander Scriabin,  Russian composer and pianist. Scriabin was influenced early in his life by the works of Frédéric Chopin, and composed works that are characterised by a highly tonal idiom. Below I've featured his Prometheus or Poem of Fire.  

1878 - Carl August Sandburg, Swedish-American writer, poet, and editor. He won three Pulitzer Prizes: two for his poetry and one for his biography of Abraham Lincoln. During his lifetime, Sandburg was widely regarded as "a major figure in contemporary literature", especially for volumes of his collected verse, including Chicago Poems, Cornhuskers, and Smoke and Steel. He enjoyed "unrivaled appeal as a poet in his day, perhaps because the breadth of his experiences connected him with so many strands of American life", and at his death in 1967, then President Lyndon B. Johnson observed that "Carl Sandburg was more than the voice of America, more than the poet of its strength and genius. He was America."

1883 - Kahlil Gibran, Lebanese-American writer, poet and visual artist, also considered a philosopher although he himself rejected this title. He is best known as the author of The Prophet, which was first published in the United States in 1923 and is one of the best-selling books of all time, having been translated into more than 100 languages. His other two notable works are The Madman and Broken Wings. (Kahlil Gibran. Poetry Foundation Org. Accessed January 6, 2018.)

1913 - Loretta Young (born Gretchen Young), American actress. She started as a child actress. She won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her role in the film The Farmer's Daughter, and received her second Academy Award nomination for her role in Come to the Stable. Young moved to the relatively new medium of television, where she had a dramatic anthology series, The Loretta Young Show, from 1953 to 1961. The series earned three Emmy Awards, and was re-run successfully on daytime TV and later in syndication. In the 1980s, Young returned to the small screen and won a Golden Globe for her role in Christmas Eve in 1986.

 
1920 - John Maynard Smith, FRS, British tiologist (theoretical and mathematical) and geneticist. Originally an aeronautical engineer during the Second World War, he took a second degree in genetics under the well-known biologist J. B. S. Haldane. Maynard Smith was instrumental in the application of game theory to evolution with George R. Price, and theorised on other problems such as the evolution of sex and signalling theory. 

 
1931 - Capucine (born Germaine Hélène Irène Lefebvre), French Fashion Model and Actress, known for her comedic roles in The Pink Panther and What's New Pussycat?. She appeared in 36 films and 17 television productions between 1948 and 1990. Capucine met Audrey Hepburn while modeling for Givenchy in Paris. They remained close friends for the rest of Capucine's life.

1955 - Rowan Sebastian Atkinson, CBE, English comedian, actor and screenwriter, best known for sitcoms Blackadder and Mr. Bean. Atkinson first came to prominence in the BBC sketch comedy show Not the Nine O'Clock News, receiving the 1981 BAFTA for Best Entertainment Performance, and via his participation in The Secret Policeman's Ball. His other work includes the James Bond film Never Say Never Again, playing a bumbling vicar in Four Weddings and a Funeral. He featured in the BBC sitcom The Thin Blue Line. His work in theatre includes the 2009 West End revival of the musical Oliver!. Atkinson was listed in The Observer as one of the 50 funniest actors in British comedy in 2007, and among the top 50 comedians ever, in a 2005 poll of fellow comedians. He received an Olivier Award for his 1981 West End theatre performance in Rowan Atkinson in Revue. He has had cinematic success with his performances in the Mr. Bean film adaptations Bean and Mr. Bean's Holiday, and also in the Johnny English film series. He appeared as the titular character in Maigret. Atkinson was appointed a CBE in the 2013 Birthday Honours for services to drama and charity.

Lefties:
None known

More birthdays and historical events, January 6 - On This Day

 

Featuring the music of two birthday celebrant composers:

Max Bruch:  Miles Hoffmann plays Bruch's Romanze, Op.85, for viola and orchestra.



 

Aleksander Scriabin: Prometheus or the Poem of Fire, op. 60 for piano, chorus, large orchestra and "luce", a sort of color organ supposed to create the synaesthetical effects wished by the composer.

Historical Events

January 6 is Epiphany (Observed by Christians)

1838 - Samuel Morse first successfully tests the electrical telegraph.

1907 - Maria Montessori, an Italian educator, doctor, scientist, philosopher, humanitarian and feminist, opens her first school an daycare center for working-class children in Rome. 

1942 - Pan American Airlines becomes the first commercial airline to have a flight around the world.

1950 - Francis Poulenc's Piano Concerto is first performed in Boston with the composer as soloist. 

1992 - The U.S. Government recommends that doctors suspend the use of silicone breast implants, except in specific, medically justified circumstances.

1994 - American figure skater Nancy Kerrigan is bashed on the right leg by an assailant under orders from associates of rival Tonya Harding. 

Video Credit:

A. Scriabin: Prometheus or the Poem of Fire - Prométhée ou le Poème du feu op. 60 (Boulez).   YouTube, uploaded by Romantic and Modern Chanel.  Retrieved January 6, 2017.

Miles Hoffman plays Bruch Romanze, Op. 85, for viola and orchestra. YouTube, uploaded by MilesHoffmanViola.  Retrieved January 6, 2017

Resources:

1. Asiado, Tel. The World's Movers and Shapers. New Hampshire: Ore Mountain Publishing House (2005)
2. Britannica. www.britannica.com
3. Chambers Biographical Dictionary, 19th Ed. London: Chambers Harrap, 2011
4. Dateline. Sydney: Millennium House, (2006)
5. Grun, Bernard. The Timetables of History, New 3rd Revised Ed. Simon & Schuster/Touchstone (1991)
6. Wikipedia. en.wikipedia.org



(c) June 2007. Updated January 6, 2023 Tel. Inspired Pen Web. All rights reserved.