This Week in History: January 10th – 16th

Welcome to this week’s edition of the staff blog’s ‘This Week in History!’ You will find historical facts, happenings, and associated books; #1 box office movies; and #1 NY Times best sellers from years gone by, all with book recommendations included based on each topic. This will be a weekly feature, so make sure to check out each week’s posting! NOTE: Click on any of the below book/movie titles to be taken to them in our online Café catalog!

 

NY Times Fiction Bestsellers

 

#1 Box Office Movies

 

This Week in History

  • January 10th
    • 1776- Common Sense is published in the American Colonies. (United States)
    • 1941- FDR introduces the lend-lease program, intending to help Britain beat Hitler’s advances while keeping America only indirectly involved in World War II. (United States/World)
    • 1946- The first meeting of the United Nations is held in London, England. (World)
  • January 11th
    • 1908- US President Theodore Roosevelt makes the Grand Canyon a national monument. (United States)
    • 1964- US Surgeon General Luther L. Terry announces that cigarette smoking is linked to lung cancer. (United States/World)
    • 1978- Song of Solomon wins the National Book Critics Circle Award. (United States)
  • January 12th
    • 1838- Mormon leader Joseph Smith abandons his settlement in Ohio after his bank fails and flees to Missouri to avoid arrest and create a new religious community. (United States)
    • 1966- The live-action Batman TV series premieres on ABC, instantly becoming a huge hit. (United States)
    • 2010- A massive earthquake strikes Haiti, leading to one of the worst humanitarian disasters in one hundred years. (World)
  • January 13th
    • 1968- Johnny Cash performs at Folsom Prison, reinvigorating his musical career, which had been on a sharp downturn in the months and years prior to the concert. (United States)
    • 1999- Michael Jordan retires for a second time. (United States)
    • 2012- The Costa Concordia, a cruise ship carrying about 4,200 people, runs aground and capsizes off Giglio Island, Italy, killing 32 passengers in the process.(World)
  • January 14th
    • 1639- The first colonial constitution is adopted in Hartford, CT by representatives of Wethersfield, Windsor, and Hartford. (United States)
    • 1784- The Continental Congress ratifies the Treaty of Paris with Great Britain, recognizing the independence of the United States of America. (United States/World)
    • 2005- The Huygens entry probe lands on Saturn’s largest moon Titan. It is the first time a spacecraft has landed on a planetary surface in the outer solar system. (World)
  • January 15th
    • 1929- Martin Luther King, Jr. is born in Atlanta, GA. (United States)
    • 1967- Green Bay Packers win their first Super Bowl (and the first Super Bowl overall). (Wisconsin/United States)
    • 2009- Pilot ‘Sully’ Sullenberger performs the ‘Miracle on the Hudson.’ (United States)
  • January 16th
    • 1919- Prohibition, via the 18th Amendment, is ratified by the states, but it did not go into effect until January 17, 1920. (United States)
    • 1945- Adolf Hitler descends into his bunker in Berlin, where he remained for 105 days before he died by suicide. (World)
    • 1979- The Shah flees Iran. (World)

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