I saw something that said the 24 January, is the anniversary of the assassination of the Roman Emperor Caligula. I remember the BBC mini series I Claudius which depicted the sadistic excesses of Caligula. Caligula was played magnificently by the actor John Hurt. Anyway, what else can grab my attention if I take a glimpse through history for 24 January?

My Pick of Historical Events on 24 January

Dissolving of Parliament

In 1679 King Charles II dissolved the so-called ‘Cavalier Parliament‘. The Cavalier Parliament sat from 8 May 1661 until 24 January 1679, amounting to 18 years of the 25 that King Charles II reigned. They spent quite a bit of that time passing acts that gave more power to the king it would appear. But they found a way to have some influence over him was to control his income. This seems quite a pertinent historical note given that today the Supreme Court in Great Britain will announce their decision on the right of Parliament to vote on the triggering of Article 50 to launch us into Brexit.

DYB DYB DYB DOB DOB DOB (Do your Best/Do our Best)

On this date in 1908 William Baden Powell wrote ‘Scouting for Boys’ which led to the establishment of the Scout Movement. In 2010 there were 32 million registered scouts from 216 countries. (I was a Girl Guide, they were founded a bit later in 1910.) Here is a short video from 1968 showing scouting in action.

Sweet Caroline

On 24 January 1941 Neil Diamond was born and his wonderful voice has since graced the world. He has sold over 120 million records world wide. ‘Sweet Caroline’ is perhaps one of his best known hits and has become an anthem for the Boston Red Sox. He also starred in the film ‘The Jazz Singer’ which I remember going to see with my Mum – we thought it was brilliant!

Winston Churchill Prime Minister and Artist

In 1965, on 24 January 1941, Winston Churchill died. He was Prime Minister of Great Britain twice, 1940-45 and again 1951-55. He was most famous for rallying the British People during World War II. I visited his house in Chartwell, now part of The National Trust, many years ago. I was struck by his paintings of which there is a large display there. He didn’t actually start painting until his early forties but became an accomplished artist.

That was my quick romp through history for this day!

Before you go

My name is Dorothy Berry-Lound an artist and writer. You can find out more about my art and writing at https://dorothyberryloundart.com.

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Thank you for reading!