Happy New Year 2024 - A Time for New Beginnings & Past Remembrances

by Cindy Kay Stewart

From All the Authors at Heroes, Heroines, & History

To All Our Readers

H A P P Y   N E W  Y E A R !

May God's Richest Blessings Pour Out Upon You

In Ways You Never Imagined

In This New Year

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Today I’m sharing New Year’s trivia.

Americans enjoy ringing in the new year in many ways. Here are some of them:

• Singing “Auld Lang Syne” (translated “for old times’ sake”) – this tradition originated in Scotland, based on the ancient poem Robert Burns set to paper and submitted to the Scots musical museum. According to Scotland.org, the song is “about preserving old friendships and looking back over the events of the year.” This tradition has spread all over the world.

Times Square Ball 2010 by Susan Serra -
Creative Commons

• Dropping the New Year Ball at Times Square in New York City - begun in 1907 with an illuminated iron and wood ball, the current 12-foot diameter ball, weighing nearly 12,000 pounds and covered with Waterford Crystal, starts it’s one-minute descent at 11:59 PM and arrives at its destination promptly at 12:00 AM of the new year. Other public drops include pickles (Dillsburg, PA) and possums (Tallapoosa, GA).

• Honking horns, blowing whistles, lighting fireworks, and setting off firecrackers at midnight on New Year’s Eve – many of these traditions started in other countries.

Sparrowman980 at English Wikipedia

    Watching the . . . 

          Rose Parade (est. 1890)

          Rose Bowl (est. 1902),
          
          Orange Bowl (est. 1935),

          Sugar Bowl (est. 1935)

          College Football Games

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Notable Americans born on January 1st:

1735 - Paul Revere, silversmith and U. S. Patriot from Revolutionary War days

1752 - Betsy Ross, seamstress credited with making the 1^st American flag

1895 - J. Edgar Hoover, 1^st director of the Federal Bureau of Investigations (served from 1935-1972)

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Historical events which took place around the world on January 1st:

630 - Muhammad sets out toward Mecca with the army that captures it bloodlessly

Charles II - Wikipedia

1651 - Charles II Stuart is crowned king of Scotland (later becomes king of England, Scotland, and Ireland)

1673 - Regular mail delivery begins between New York and Boston 

1800 - Dutch East India Company dissolves

1801 - Irish Parliament votes to join the Kingdom of Great Britain

1808 - U.S. Congress prohibits the importation of slaves

1863 - Emancipation Proclamation is signed by Abraham Lincoln to free slaves in the U.S. confederate states

1892 - Ellis Island in New York Harbor opens where immigrants to the U.S. are processed until 1954

Ellis Island, 1892 - Wikipedia

1902 Radio - Wikipedia

1902 - 1st public demonstration of the radio takes place in Pennsylvania

USSR State Emblem, 1923 -
Wikipedia

1923 - Union of Socialist Soviet Republics (USSR) is established

1928 - 1st U.S. air-conditioned office building opens (San Antonio, TX)

1958 - European Economic Community (Common Market) starts operations

                            1962 - U.S. Navy SEALs established

U.S. Navy SEALs Insignia - Wikipedia

1985 - Internet's Domain Name System is created

1992 - Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic is renamed the Russian Federation, becoming the successor state to the Soviet Union

Euro Banknotes & Coins - Wikipedia

2002 - Euro banknotes and coins become legal tender in twelve of the European Union's member states

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Sources: onthisday.com

              historyplace.com

              history.com

What New Year's tradition or event is special to you?

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It’s late August, 1939, and the Nazis are threatening Poland. American teacher Irena Simmons will let nothing interfere with her work, especially her former classmate Jonathan Huntwell, who surprises her in Lvov and insists she leave with him before the war starts. The Gestapo agent Irena successfully evaded in Germany finds her and tries to take the little German boys she whisked to safety the year before. After the Nazis invade, the rising danger threatens everything Irena holds dear, and Jonathan is too far away to help. She must find a way to escape with the children before it’s too late. Find in KU on Amazon.      

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Cindy Kay Stewart, a retired high school social studies teacher and current church pianist, writes stories of hope, steeped in love, and anchored in faith. Her manuscripts have won the Touched by Love Award, the First Impressions contest, and the Sandra Robbins Inspirational Writing Award. They've also finaled in the Maggie Award of Excellence and the Cascade Awards, and semi-finaled in the Genesis contest. Cindy is passionate about revealing God’s handiwork in history. She resides in North Georgia with her college sweetheart and husband of forty-two years. Her daughter, son-in-law, and four adorable grandchildren live nearby. Cindy’s currently writing the Circle of Hope series set in WWII Europe.