Jackson County journal. (Sylva, N.C.) 19??-19??, 1918-01-25
Many Historic Eue,,ts
Haze Happened on
New Yea; sDau
b RENE BACH

| " VENTS of utmost historic i'm
| - pOrtance, many of them tragic
in character. are associated
with New Years day.
| It was on the first day of January,
1913, that Juan Diaz de Soils, the ex-
plorer, coasting in a sailing vessel
along the eastern shore of South
America, discovered and entered the
mouth of mighty river. He called it
(by reason of the date) the January
river, or Rio de Janeiro, the name it
bears and which is also borne by the
city at its mouth, the capital of Brazil
at the present time.
The tragedy, In this instance, came
later. Three years afterward the
same adventurous explorer again en-
tered the river mouth. The natives
were suspicious Of his Intentions, and
when he landed they captured and
killed him, and within sight of his ship
roasted his body over q fire and ate
it. Thus persisted q man who, in his
day, was reputed the ablest of living
navigatOrs.
Bartholomew Esteban Murillo, great
est of the Spanish painters, was born
on the first day Of January, 1913. For
many years his services were en-
ployed by the churches and converts
of Seville, which were enriched by his
Incompatible masterpieces. He earned
by his art considerable fortune.
| When at the height of his fame he was
invited to Cadiz, and there executed
his magnificent picture Of st. Cath
crime, the mother Of Jesus. Just as
the work was on the point Of compile
ton he fell from q scaffold and was
killed.
1t seems rather odd that history
should take the trouble to record the
death, on January 1, 1880, of so unim-
portant person as Thomas Hobson. q
carrier of Cambridge, England. He
| made business Of hiring out horses.
Hobson was merciful to his beasts,
and enforced rule that required for
| each one Of them q certain measure of
rest. Those which had not had their
proper time Of rest he would not al
low to 60 out. "This or none," he
would say, indicating the horse that
was available for hire Whence came
the familiar term, "Hobson's choice.
this or none"
On the first day of January, 1776,
the town Of Norfolk, Va, was burned,
not by the British, who were threaten
ing the place, but by it's American in
habitants. Lord Dunmore, the royal
governor Of the colony, having aban-
doned the town and sought safety on
board Of ship Zone Of a number of
vessels that were under his command
| In the harbor), found himself in dis
tress for provisions.
The frigate Liverpool, on arriving.
threatened to turn her guns loose upon
Norfolk, because the people refused to
furnish food supplies, but In response
| the inhabitants set fire to their houses
and even wiped out the plantations
for long distance back from the wa
ter, in order that nothing in the way
of subsistence might be obtainable by
the enemy.
Exactly five years later, on Janu-
ary 1, 1871. an incident very alarming
to the cause of the American colon
lists occurred at Morristown, N. ]. It
was nothing less than a revolt of
troops Of the Pennsylvania line, who
had enlisted for three years service.
The term having expired, they de-
manded their discharge. The incipient
rebellion was promptly suppressed,
however.
| On the first day Of January, 1901,
the astronomer Piazzi, at Palermo, dis
covered Ceres, the first Of the minor
planets, or so-called ASTEROIDS" re-
vealed by the telescope. It is less
than 500 miles in diameter. Since
then great many Of these baby SIS
tiers Of the earth have been spotted"
by enterprising star-gazers, though
none of them is so big as Ceres. One
OF them, Eros, is twins, two little
globes revolving about each other. Up
to date, 822 of these minor planets
have been discovered.