This Day in History January 1st- January 14th
January 9, 1760 - Ahmad Shah Durrani Defeats Marathas in the Battle of Barari Ghat
Founder of one of the few major Empires based in Afghanistan, Ahmed Shah Durrani of the Durrani Empire was well-known for his military expertise. After establishing his Empire in the mountainous home regions of Afghanistan, he launched multiple expeditions into India, resulting in numerous clashes between himself and the Indian states, most notably the Mughal and Maratha Empires that were both frequently defeated. In the Battle of Barari Ghat, Durrani’s troops crossed a river by concealing themselves in tall reeds, surprising the Maratha forces who they soon defeated.
January 10, 49 BCE - Julius Caesar Crosses the Rubicon
Having witnessed Julius Caesar increasingly overstep the power granted to him by the Roman Republic system, the Roman Senate ordered him back to Rome without his army. When Caesar arrived at the Rubicon river, the point just before he would enter the Italian peninsula, he made a fateful decision - he entered Italy with a legion behind him, fully revealing his intentions to seize power. Nowadays, the phrase, “Crossing the Rubicon” is taken to refer to an act that puts one past the point of no return, as this action by Caesar made the resulting Civil War inevitable.
January 11, 1964 - US Surgeon General (Luther Terry) Publishes Landmark Report on Health Effects of Smoking
The report, “Smoking and Health: Report of the Advisory Committee to the Surgeon General of the United States” had major impacts on how smoking was / is viewed in the US. Released on a Saturday to maximize coverage in Sunday reports, it stated extremely convincingly that there was a definitive link between smoking and diseases such as bronchitis, emphysema, and lung cancer, as well as several other negative effects such as a reduced size of infants born from parents who smoke. The outcry over this report led to several measures being taken by the government to increase transparency on the part of cigarette companies, most notably multiple acts that mandated warnings on cigarette labels and a ban on the broadcasting of cigarette advertisements.
January 12, 1554 - Bayinnaung, Creator of the Largest Empire in Southeast Asian History, is Coronated as King of Burma
After the death of the King Tabinshwehti in 1550, the Taungoo Empire that he and his heir (Bayinnaung) had created immediately fell apart as all major governors declared themselves King simultaneously, breaking the state into six pieces. The next four years of Bayinnaung’s life would be defined by his campaigns to put these pieces back together, finally ending with his coronation in 1554. From this point, Bayinnaung waged war on the rest of Southeast Asia, concluding with the full conquest of Thailand by 1565.
(Map of the Taungoo Empire under Bayinnaung)
January 13, 1822 - Adoption of the Greek Flag Design
During the Greek war of Independence from the Ottoman Empire, it became necessary for the Greek people to adopt a flag for the new nation they hoped to create. What they came up with was at first just a white cross on a blue background, but eventually the naval ensign they designed (9 alternating stripes of blue and white with a white cross on a field of blue in the upper-left corner) eventually became the modern Greek flag. This flag symbolizes the Greek religion - Orthodox Christianity - with the white cross, while also symbolizing the 9 syllables of the phrase, “Freedom or Death” in Greek with the nine stripes.
January 14, 1639 - The Fundamental Orders are Adopted in Connecticut
Earning Connecticut the name, “The Constitution State”, the Fundamental Orders were one of (if not the first) instances of a written Constitution that established a government. This Constitution not only created the colony of Connecticut (unifying the three major colonies of Windsor, Wethersfield, and Hartford), it also stated that all free men had the right to choose who they wished to govern them (an idea that would later become integral to the formation of the United States).
