Another week, another set of entries

Serendipity is the effect by which one accidentally discovers something fortunate, especially while looking for something else entirely. The word derives from an old Persian fairy tale and was coined by Horace Walpole on 28th of January 1754 in a letter he wrote to his friend Horace Mann (not the same man as the famed American educator).

January 28, 814 -
F I R S T R E I C H
Charlemagne German emperor, dies at the age of 71. Though he had conquered much of Europe, his legacy was considerably reduced after his death from mismanagement and incompetence. Coincidentally, The Siege of Paris, lasting from September 19, 1870 – January 28, 1871, ends, bringing about French defeat in the Franco-Prussian War and led to the establishment of the German Empire (Second Reich). Due to a severe shortage of food, Parisians were forced to slaughter whatever animals at hand. Rats, dogs, cats, and horses were regular fare on restaurant menus. Even Castor and Pollux, the only pair of elephants in Paris, were not spared.




Hey, it not like I was going to have a photograph of him - this is the best you're going to get.


January 28, 1958 -
Brooklyn Dodger catcher Ray Campanella paralyzed in a car wreck.





January 28, 1958 -
Those damn little toys that you step on in the middle of the night got their start today. The Lego company patented their design of Lego bricks, still compatible with bricks produced today.



January 28, 1977 -
Star of TV's "Chico and the Man" Freddie Prinze has a violent allergic reaction to a bullet to the brains at age 23.



January 28, 1978 -
"Vampire of Sacramento" Richard Chase is arrested. Miscellaneous human organs are found in his refrigerator. He managed to kill six people, drinking the blood of two of his victims. No fava beans or chianti were found in the apartment, though.





January 28, 1986 -
Space Shuttle Challenger disintegrates 74 seconds into its flight, killing teacher Christa McAuliffe and the rest of the crew. Their capsule plunged intact into the ocean, pulverizing everyone on impact, making a rescue attempt difficult, if not impossible. Moral: don’t travel by rocket this week.





And so it goes.