🗞️Today’s Headlines

Everything important that’s ever happened on January 5:

2005 ─ Eris, a planet the size of Pluto, was discovered 14 billion kilometers away from Earth. Arguments of how to classify Eris were settled with a new definition of what makes a planet—demoting both Eris and Pluto to “dwarf planets.” 

1998 ─ Daniel arap Moi began his fifth consecutive term as the president of Kenya. Despite economic stagnation and widespread rumors of corruption, Moi served as Kenyan president for 24 years. 

1973 ─ Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J, Bruce Springsteen’s first album, was released to positive critical reviews, but underwhelming sales.

1953 ─ Samuel Beckett’s play Waiting for Godot opened in a 75-seat theater in Paris. It has since been played in countless high school gymnasiums and drama clubs, as well as in the West End and on Broadway.   

1933 ─ Construction began on the Golden Gate Bridge. For more than 60 years it was the tallest suspension bridge in the world. 

1925 ─ The first female governor in US history, Nellie Tayloe Ross, took office in Wyoming after a special election to replace her husband who died three months earlier. 

1914 ─ In a move to appease workers who were dissatisfied with the automation of their jobs, Henry Ford doubled his workers’ pay to $5.00 a day. There were significant stipulations attached to the raise, however. Employees had to abstain from alcohol and keep homes, amongst other requirements. 

🎂 Today’s Birthdays

On January 5, we’re singing to:

Robert Duvall (1931) ─ American actor who has won one Academy Award and been nominated seven times, including at age 84. Duvall has had memorable roles in The Godfather trilogy, Apocalypse Now, Tender Mercies, and many other films. 

Umberto Eco (1932) ─ Italian author, newspaper columnist, and political commentator whose novels reached a worldwide audience, particularly his seminal work The Name of the Rose, which sold more than 50 million copies. 

Miyazaki Hayao (1941) ─ Trailblazing Japanese animator and director who twice won the Academy Award for Best Animated Features. Famous for Princess Mononoke, Spirited Away, and The Boy and the Heron, amongst many others. 

Diane Keaton (1946) ─ American actress who broke into the mainstream with her portrayal of Kay in The Godfather II and appeared in many Woody Allen films, including Annie Hall, for which she won an Academy Award. 

Bradley Cooper (1975) ─ A versatile American actor and producer who has appeared in Hollywood projects as silly as The Hangover and as serious as Maestro, in which he portrayed conductor Leonard Bernstein.

 🪦Who Died Today?

On January 5, we’re saying goodbye to:

Calvin Coolidge (1933) ─ The 30th president of the United States, who presided over the economic boom of the “Roaring ’20s” but left office just before the onset of the Great Depression, raising questions as to the long-term effectiveness of his laissez-faire economic policies.  

Pierre Boulez (2016) ─ French conductor and classical music composer who was a leading figure in classical music during his time.

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