January 22 Dateline

Birthdays

1561 - Sir Francis Bacon, 1st Viscount St Alban, PC QC, English philosopher, statesman, scientist, jurist, orator, and author. He served as Attorney General and as Lord Chancellor of England. Bacon has been called the father of empiricism. His works argued for the possibility of scientific knowledge based only upon inductive reasoning and careful observation of events in nature. He argued that science could be achieved by use of a sceptical and methodical approach whereby scientists aim to avoid misleading themselves. Although his Baconian method, did not have a long-lasting influence, the general idea of the importance and possibility of a sceptical methodology makes him the father of the scientific method. This method was a new rhetorical and theoretical framework for science, the practical details of which are still central in debates about science and methodology.  Bacon was a patron of libraries and developed a functional system for the cataloging of books by dividing them into three categories—history, poetry, and philosophy. He was the first recipient of the Queen's counsel designation, which was conferred in 1597 when Elizabeth I of England reserved Bacon as her legal advisor. In 1603, Bacon was knighted, later created Baron Verulam and Viscount St. Alban in 1621. (The Philosophy of Francis Bacon by Will Durant. Uploaded by Rocky C. Accessed January 22, 2016.)

1572 - John Donne, English poet, scholar, soldier and secretary born into a recusant family, who later became a cleric in the Church of England. Under royal patronage, he was made Dean of St Paul's Cathedral in London. He is considered the preeminent representative of the metaphysical poets. His poetical works are noted for their metaphorical and sensual style and include sonnets, love poems, religious poems, Latin translations, epigrams, elegies, songs, and satires. He is also known for his sermons. In 1615 he was ordained Anglican deacon and then priest, although he did not want to take holy orders and only did so because the king ordered it. He also served as a member of Parliament.  (John Donne's 17th devotion, "Meditation XVII", from his Devotions Upon Emergence Occasions. YouTube, uploaded by Glory Hallelujahal.  Donne's "Occasional Mercies" from his sermons preached n Christmas Day. www.Bartleby.com. Holy Sonnets by John DONNE read by David Barnes | Full Audio Book. YouTube, uploaded by LibriVox Audiobooks.  Accessed January 22, 2019.)

 

1788 - George Gordon Byron, the 6th Baron Byron, FRS, known simply as Lord Byron, was an English poet, peer, and politician who became a revolutionary in the Greek War of Independence, and is considered one of the historical leading figures of the Romantic movement of his era and one of the greatest English poets. Among his best-known works are the narrative poems Don Juan and Childe Harold's Pilgrimage. Many of his shorter lyrics in Hebrew Melodies also became popular. His only legitimate child, Ada Lovelace, is regarded as a foundational figure in the field of computer programming based on her notes for Charles Babbage's Analytical Engine.  Byron's illegitimate children include Allegra Byron, who died in childhood, and possibly Elizabeth Medora Leigh. ("Darkness" by Lord Byron. Read by Tom O'Bedlam. Uploaded by SpokenVerse. Accessed January 22, 2012. So poignant, brilliant in its melancholy.)

1940 - Sir John Vincent Hurt, CBE, English actor. He came to prominence for his role as Richard Rich in the film A Man for All Seasons and gained BAFTA Award nominations for his portrayals of Timothy Evans in 10 Rillington Place and Quentin Crisp in television film The Naked Civil Servant – winning his first BAFTA for the latter. He played Caligula in the BBC TV series I, Claudius. Hurt's performance in the prison drama Midnight Express earned Golden Globe and BAFTA Awards, along with an Academy Award nomination. His BAFTA-nominated portrayal of astronaut Kane, in the science-fiction horror film Alien, yielded a scene where an alien creature burst out of his chest. It has been named by several publications as one of the most memorable moments in cinema history.

 
1960 - Michael Kelland John Hutchence, Australian musician, singer, songwriter, and actor. Hutchence co-founded the rock band INXS, which sold over 60 million records worldwide and was inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame in 2001. He was the lead singer and lyricist of INXS from 1977 until his death. He was a member of the short-lived pop rock group Max Q. He also recorded some solo material and acted in feature films. In July 1996, Hutchence and English television presenter Paula Yates had a daughter, Heavenly Hiraani Tiger Lily.

1965 - Diane Colleen Lane, American actress and producer. She made her screen debut in George Roy Hill's 1979 film A Little Romance. Lane has appeared in several notable films, including the 2002 film Unfaithful, which earned her Satellite, New York Film Critics Circle, and National Society of Film Critics awards for Best Actress in a Motion Picture (Drama). Her performance in Unfaithful also garnered her Academy Award, Golden Globe, and Screen Actors Guild Award nominations for Best Actress.

Leftie:

Actress Diane Lane

More birthdays and historical events, January 22 - On This Day

 

Historical Events

1840 - The first British colonists reach New Zealand.

1859 - Johannes Brahms is soloist in the premiere of his Piano Concerto No. 1, in Hanover, with Joseph Joachim conducting.

Here's Brahms's Piano concerto No. 1,  interpreted by pianist Arthur Rubinstein, with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra (Amsterdam), conducted by Bernard Haitink, in Amsterdam, 1973.

 

 
1879 - The battles of Isandlwana and Rorke's Drift are fought. Eleven Victoria Crosses are awarded.

1901 -  Queen Victoria of Great Britain, Empress of India, dies after 63 years on the throne.

1905 - When Russian workers march in peaceful protest on the Winter Palace, a hundred are massacred by Czarist troops. Known as Bloody Sunday, the incidents ignites the Russian Revolution.   

1966 - The U.S.S.R. launches Kosmos 110, carrying the two-dog crew of Ugolyok and Veterok into Earth's orbit. It returns after a 22-day flight, a canine space record not surpassed by humans until 1974, when Skylab 2 keeps three men in space for 28 days.    

1992 - Roberta Bondar becomes the first Canadian woman in space. During her space flight, Dr. Bondar serves as rprime payload specialist for the first International Microgravity Laboratory Mission. Also the first neurologist in space, she spends 8 days in orbit, circling the Earth 129 times.


Video Credit:

Arthur Rubinstein - Brahms Piano Concerto No. 1.  YouTube, uploaded by Giovanni Caramia. Accessed January 22, 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


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