🗞️Today’s Headlines

Everything important that’s ever happened on January 28:

1986 — NASA’s space shuttle Challenger exploded within minutes of launching, in a tragedy broadcast live and seen by millions of US school children. All seven crew members perished. 

1915 — The US Coast Guard was created by the merger of two maritime authorities. Although primarily known as a lifesaving service, it also serves as a law enforcement agency, a part of the Department of Homeland Security, and an armed branch of the US military.  

1871 — Paris briefly fell under German rule following a four-month siege during the Franco-Prussian War. France gave Germany the Alsace-Lorraine region plus five billion francs to end the war. 

1813 —  Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice was published anonymously and became a sensation, eventually selling over 20 million copies and inspiring countless adaptations and imitations. 

🎂 Today’s Birthdays

On January 28, we’re singing to:

Colette (1873) — French writer who published her first four novels under her husband’s name before separating and establishing her own fame as an acclaimed, groundbreaking female author. 

Arthur Rubinstein (1887) — Polish pianist who performed for over 80 years and toured the world many times over, still considered one of the all-time greats. 

Jackson Pollock (1912) — Abstract Expressionist artist known for his unique, physical, frantic style of painting made with splashes, drips, drops, lines, and layers of household paint.

 🪦Who Died Today?

On January 28, we’re saying goodbye to:

Charlemagne (814) — The first Holy Roman emperor, who united much of Europe and helped usher in the Carolingian Renaissance, encouraging learning, arts, and literature. 

Henry VIII (1547) — King of England for nearly 40 years, known for separating the Church of England from the Catholic church in order to annul the first of his six marriages. 

William Butler Yeats (1939) — Nobel Prize-winning author, poet, and champion of Irish culture, literature, and independence, considered one of the greatest poets of the 20th century.

Christa Corrigan McAuliffe (1986) — American astronaut and educator who died on the space shuttle Challenger. She was the first civilian selected to participate in a NASA mission as part of the Teacher in Space Project.

Cicely Tyson (2021) — African-American actress who broke color barriers on television, won an Honorary Academy Award, and was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in honor of her 60+ year career. 

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