Paracultural Calendar for Jan 23

[Mark Thibodeau]

On this day in *971*, in China, the *war elephant corps* of the Southern
Han are soundly defeated at Shao by crossbow fire from Song Dynasty troops.

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On this day in *1368*, in a coronation ceremony, *Zhu Yuanzhang* ascends
the throne of China as the Hongwu Emperor, initiating *Ming Dynasty* rule
over China that would last for three centuries.

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On this day in *1546*, having published nothing for eleven years, *François
Rabelais* publishes the Tiers Livre, his sequel to Gargantua and Pantagruel.

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On this day in *1556*, the deadliest earthquake in history, the Shaanxi
earthquake, hits Shaanxi province, China. The death toll may have been as
high as 830,000.
***

On this day in *1570*, *James Stewart*, 1st Earl of Moray, regent for the
infant *King James VI* of Scotland, is assassinated by firearm, the first
recorded instance of such.

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On this day in *1719*, the Principality of Liechtenstein is created within
the Holy Roman Empire.

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On this day in *1849*, *Elizabeth Blackwell* is awarded her M.D. by the
Geneva Medical College of Geneva, New York, becoming the United States'
first female doctor.

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On this day in *1855*, the first bridge over the Mississippi River opens in
what is now Minneapolis, Minnesota, a crossing made today by the Hennepin
Avenue Bridge.

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On this day in *1870*, in Montana, U.S. cavalrymen kill 173 Native
Americans, mostly women and children, in what becomes known as the Marias
Massacre.

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On this day in *1897*, *Elva Zona Heaster* is found dead in Greenbrier
County, West Virginia. The resulting murder trial of her husband is perhaps
the only case in United States history where the alleged testimony of a
ghost helped secure a conviction.

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On this day in *1937*, in Moscow, 17 leading Communists go on trial accused
of participating in a plot led by *Leon Trotsky* to overthrow *Joseph
Stalin*'s regime and assassinate its leaders.

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On this day in *1941*, *Charles Lindbergh* testifies before the U.S.
Congress and recommends that the United States negotiate a neutrality pact
with *Adolf Hitler*.

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On this day in *1943*, *Duke Ellington* plays at Carnegie Hall in New York
City for the first time.

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On this day in *1957*, American inventor *Walter Frederick Morrison* sells
the rights to his flying disc to the Wham-O toy company, which later
renames it the *"Frisbee"*.

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On this day in *1968*, North Korea seizes the *USS Pueblo*, claiming the
ship had violated its territorial waters while spying.

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On this day in *1986*, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inducts its first
members: *Little Richard*,*Chuck Berry*, *James Brown*, *Ray Charles*, *Fats
Domino*, the *Everly Brothers*, *Buddy Holly*,*Jerry Lee Lewis* and *Elvis
Presley*.

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On this day in *1997*, *Madeleine Albright* becomes the first woman to
serve as United States Secretary of State.

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On this day in *2002,* "American Taliban" *John Walker Lindh* returns to
the United States in FBI custody.

***

On this day in *2003*, Earth receives its final communication from the
Pioneer 10 probe.
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