In the middle of the 20th century, things moved quickly. In January 1942, a group calling itself the United Nations declared for mutual support during the Second World War. If you look closely at the declaration, you can see China’s signature, between Russia and Australia and just down from Britain and, signed by FDR, the… Continue reading #OTD 6 January – The first United Nations
Category: The Calendar
#OTD 5 January – Treason on the 12th day
Some Christians start the 12 days of Christmas on Christmas Day. Some start the day after. If you are in the former group, 5 January is the last. It’s called Twelfth Night. Three or four years after the premiere of Shakespeare’s play of that name, colleague Ben Jonson was commissioned to produce a masque. Known… Continue reading #OTD 5 January – Treason on the 12th day
#OTD 4 January – A woman in court
Rose Heilbron was a stellar criminal barrister. On 4 January 1972 she became the first female judge to sit at the Old Bailey. A couple of years later she was appointed to the High Court although like many early female judges she was initially placed in the divorce jurisdiction. She had been junior in Learie… Continue reading #OTD 4 January – A woman in court
#OTD 3 January – A loyalty oath
Prior to 3 January AD 250 the imperial approach to religion was live and let live, pax Romana in action. By and large the central government permitted provinces to keep their religions unless things got ugly. On 3 January, an edict issued by the Emperor Decius came into effect. He ordered everyone in the empire… Continue reading #OTD 3 January – A loyalty oath
#OTD 2 January – Making morality universal
At the beginning of the 21st century China became a member of the World Trade Organisation. Whatever the politics of that process, there is the curious reality that prior to the event, there was something called the “World Trade Organisation” which was a trade organisation omitting the then most populous country in the world. A… Continue reading #OTD 2 January – Making morality universal
#OTD 1 January – Raising the flag
The first day of the year is attractive for English-speaking unions. On 1 January 1801 the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland was proclaimed. A century later on 1 January 1901 the Commonwealth of Australia opened for business. But the Americans beat them both. In 1776 General George Washington hoisted the first US flag,… Continue reading #OTD 1 January – Raising the flag
#OTD 25 October – Who are we fighting for?
The question “what are we fighting for” is vexed and ever asked but is apt to overshadow the equally important “who are we fighting for”. Or is that “whom”? Anyway, if the “who” is our nation, the answer is usually “ourselves”. It has not always been so. On 25 October 1415 Henry V of England… Continue reading #OTD 25 October – Who are we fighting for?
#OTD 1 August – Roman Egypt, a 600-year tale
For three centuries since the death of Alexander, the Mediterranean had subjected itself to the Hellenistic Age. To the north, Greece itself, cultural hub. To the south, Egypt, dynastic hub, ruled by the descendant of Alexander’s general Ptolemy, Cleopatra. Into this, the newest and toughest kid on the block was the Republic of Rome. Julius… Continue reading #OTD 1 August – Roman Egypt, a 600-year tale
#OTD 22 July – Of which Tiananmen do you speak?
On 22 July 1977, party elders brought Deng Xiao Ping back from exile. By the next year he was China’s paramount leader. For many in the west, Deng’s role as reformer was tarnished by his eventual support for the hardline response of 1989 known as the Tiananmen Square Massacre. History can be ironic. Deng’s fall… Continue reading #OTD 22 July – Of which Tiananmen do you speak?
#OTD 21 July – How’s your Singlish?
In a predominantly white and Christian west, Islam can be an element of minority protest, and the US of the 1960s is an example. The Malay peninsula and the neighbouring island of Singapore of the 1960s is a fascinating counterpoise. The primary issue in the region was whether the indigenous Malays, in this case a… Continue reading #OTD 21 July – How’s your Singlish?