On this day in history, January 8 in 1916, ANZAC (Australian and New Zealand Arms Corps) withdrew from the Gallipoli Peninsula (in present day Turkey) after Ottoman forces successfully defended access to Contantople during WWI.   Gallipoli was a strategic point where the Triple Entente nations (Britain, France and Russia) sought…

On this day, January 7th, in 1789, the United States held its first presidential election in which George Washington would be named the President under the newly established United States Constitution.  Instead of direct ballots, voters chose electors who would vote for Washington as President.[1] (The system of the Electoral…

One year ago today, January 6, 2021 was the storming of the U.S. Capitol building.  After a morning of rallies and protests, a large crowd broke into the Capitol Building as Congress was physically counting the Electoral College ballots that would confirm the winner of the 2020 presidential election. [1]…

On this day in history, January 5th, 1919, the German Workers’ Party, the precursor, to the Nazi Party was formed. [1]  Even for people who have seemingly no interest in history, the rise of Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party is fascinating. It begs so many questions:  How could Hitler,…

On January 4, 2001, Michael Jordan scored his 30,000th career NBA points. Ironically, he was playing against the Chicago Bulls when he did so. “MJ,” as he is commonly referred to, was playing for the Washington Wizards at the time and became the fourth player in the history of the…

On this day, January 3rd, in 1521, Martin Luther was excommunicated from the Roman Catholic Church by Pope Leo X. [1] This act was in punishment for Luther’s refusal to recant his statements, including his 1517 Ninety Five Theses, in which Luther publicly protested how the Catholic Church held untrue…

On this day, January 2nd, in 1900, the U.S. Secretary of State John Hay declared an ‘Open Door Note’ to trade with China.  Significance of the Open Door Note  Today the trade relationship between the United States and China makes the daily news. A recent report stated that China imports…

Today begins a new series marking a day in history and connecting that event with God’s story. May these accounts illuminate God’s providential story in which He “works all things according to the counsel of his will” (Ephesians 1:11) as seen through these day-to-day accounts in history.  To begin the…