Moments in Time – December 20, 2023

#MiddleburyCT

• On Jan. 1, 2011, the Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN) debuted on television. The “Queen of All Media” had previously described her vision for the network as one that “inspires our viewers and makes them want to be who they are on their best day.”
• On Jan. 2, 1919, locksmith and far-right politician Anton Drexler founded the German Workers’ Party, the forerunner of the Nazi Party, in Munich, Germany, from a group that met regularly to discuss political matters. Among other things, the party advocated for nationalism and extreme antisemitism.
• On Jan. 3, 1521, Martin Luther was excommunicated from the Roman Catholic Church by Pope Leo X after he failed to recant 41 parts of his Ninety-Five Theses, which started the Protestant Reformation. The pope had called the offending statements heretical, scandalous and offensive to pious ears, though he did not specify exactly which ones fell under that category.
• On Jan. 4, 1957, the Hamilton Electric 500 watch made its public debut. It was the first timepiece to never need winding (though it did need frequent battery replacement) and came in “modern” asymmetrical designs to reflect its revolutionary technology. Production ended 12 years later with the advanced technology of quartz movements that rendered the “watch of the future” obsolete.
• On Jan. 5, 1992, a landslide that occurred near San Francisco killed 33 people and caused the Golden Gate Bridge to close. Heavy rain in the amount of nearly half of the city’s average annual precipitation had previously fallen for a straight 36 hours
• On Jan. 6, 2000, a severe flu outbreak in the United Kingdom caused National Health Service hospitals to be stretched to their limits, leaving many forced to cancel all non-emergency surgeries and facing intensive care bed shortages. The outbreak was blamed on a low rate of flu vaccinations.
• On Jan. 7, 1927, the first transatlantic telephone service was established. A three-minute call between New York and London cost about $45, which would translate to roughly $550 today.

© 2023 King Features Synd., Inc.