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January 2
The emperors of the Han dynasty were the supreme heads of government during the second imperial dynasty of China. The emperor appointed all government officials ranging from the highest levels of administration to the county level. He also functioned as a lawgiver, the highest court judge, commander-in-chief of the armed forces, and high priest of the state-sponsored religious cults. The Han dynasty was founded by the peasant rebel leader Liu Bang, known posthumously as Emperor Gao. The longest reigning emperor of the dynasty was Emperor Wu, who reigned for 54 years. The dynasty was briefly interrupted by the Xin dynasty of Wang Mang, but he was overthrown in 23 AD and the Han dynasty was reestablished by Liu Xiu, known posthumously as Emperor Guangwu (pictured). The last Han emperor, Emperor Xian, was a puppet monarch of Chancellor Cao Cao, whose son Pi usurped the throne as Emperor Wen of Wei and ended the Han dynasty. (This list is part of a featured topic: Han dynasty.)
January 5
Human characters on Sesame Street, a children's television program, appear together with the program's Muppet characters despite the advice that the producers received prior to the 1969 premiere from child psychologists who were concerned that children would be confused by human-Muppet interactions. The producers defied the recommendations of their advisers because researchers found that, although children's attention was high during the Muppet segments, their interest wavered when there were only humans on screen. The original cast, chosen by producer Jon Stone, consisted of four human actors—Matt Robinson, who played Gordon; Loretta Long, who played Gordon's wife, Susan; Will Lee, who played Mr. Hooper; and Bob McGrath (pictured), who played Bob. Unlike most children's television programs at the time, the producers of Sesame Street decided against using a single host and cast a group of ethnically diverse actors. Most of the initial cast and crew found jobs on Sesame Street through personal relationships with Stone and the other producers. (Full list...)
January 9
The Chief Justice of the Common Pleas was the head of the Court of Common Pleas, which was the second-highest common law court in the English legal system until 1875, when it became part of the High Court of Justice. As such, the Chief Justice of the Common Pleas was one of the highest judicial officials in England, behind only the Lord High Chancellor and the Lord Chief Justice of England. The position of Chief Justice of the Common Pleas was formalised in 1272 with the raising of Sir Gilbert of Preston to Chief Justice, and from then on it was a formally appointed role similar to the positions of Lord Chief Justice and Chief Baron of the Exchequer. When the High Court was created in 1875, the three common law courts became separate divisions of it until 1880, when the three common law divisions were merged; John Coleridge (pictured), the Chief Justice of the Common Pleas, became Lord Chief Justice, and the offices of Chief Justice of the Common Pleas and Chief Baron were abolished. (Full list...)
January 12
Fewer than fifty of the almost 250 Texians who had occupied the Alamo Mission in San Antonio, Texas, were alive when the Battle of the Alamo ended at approximately 6:30 a.m. on March 6, 1836. Of the Texians who fought during the battle, only two survived: Alamo co-commander William Barret Travis's slave, Joe, was assumed by the Mexican attackers to be a noncombatant, and Brigido Guerrero, who had deserted from the Mexican Army several months before, convinced the Mexican soldiers that he had been taken prisoner by the Texians. Alamo co-commander James Bowie's freedman, Sam, was also spared, although it is not known if he participated in the fighting. On March 7, Mexican President Antonio López de Santa Anna interviewed each of the survivors individually. He was impressed with Susanna Dickinson (pictured), the young widow of Alamo artillery captain Almaron Dickinson, and offered to adopt her infant daughter Angelina, but she refused. The survivors were allowed to go free and spread the news of the destruction that awaited those who opposed the Mexican government. (Full list...)
January 16
Twenty-six amphibian species are found in Michigan, one of the fifty United States. These species include twelve species of frog, twelve species of salamander and two species of toad, all members of the class Amphibia. Blanchard's cricket frog (pictured), a subspecies of northern cricket frog, is considered to be threatened and two species, the marbled salamander and small-mouth salamander, are considered endangered; these are protected under the Endangered Species Act of the State of Michigan. Two more species, the boreal chorus frog and lesser siren, are considered to be of special concern, although they are not protected under the act. Most of Michigan's frogs and toads become dormant in the winter; some frogs can withstand short periods of freezing conditions, but this is not true of all species. Some species of salamander also hibernate during the winter, while other fully aquatic species remain active throughout the year. (Full list...)
January 19
The Leuchtenberg Gallery was the collection of artworks of the Dukes of Leuchtenberg, on public display in Munich. The collection was widely known in 19th-century Europe, due to being open to the public and having a high-quality illustrated catalogue in different languages, and was considered one of the most important private collections of the time. The collection was a heritage from Napoleonic times through Joséphine de Beauharnais, but with new additions by the subsequent Dukes, especially Eugène de Beauharnais. By 1841, the collection was largely complete. The Gallery was located in the Palais Leuchtenberg. After the death of Duke Maximilian in 1852, the Gallery was closed. The majority of the collection remained together until the Russian Revolution in 1917, when it was dispersed and a number of paintings sold in Sweden. Many works ended up in museums all over the world, such as Parmigianino's Circumcision of Jesus (pictured), which is now housed at the Detroit Institute of Arts. The remaining works are either lost or in private collections. (Full list...)
January 23
Eighty-three songs are included in Rock Band 3, a 2010 music video game developed by Harmonix, published by MTV Games and distributed by Electronic Arts. All of these songs were recorded either from master copies or live performances. When Rock Band 3 was first detailed on June 11, 2010, Harmonix announced 22 of the game's songs. The next month, Harmonix used Facebook and Twitter to provide clues about additional songs for both Rock Band 3 and Dance Central, which they then confirmed to be six Rock Band tracks and three Dance Central tracks. During a video interview at the 2010 Gamescom convention, most of the setlist was inadvertently leaked because someone was scrolling through the setlist in the background. Rock Band Network songs are also playable in Rock Band 3. The game's setlist was well-received by video game critics. Eurogamer's Johnny Minkley noted the contrast between it and the heavier style of Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock's setlist. (Full list...)
January 26
Baryons are composite particles made of three quarks, as opposed to mesons, which are composite particles made of one quark and one antiquark. Baryons and mesons are both hadrons, which are particles composed solely of quarks or both quarks and antiquarks. Until a few years ago, it was believed that some experiments showed the existence of pentaquarks – baryons made of four quarks and one antiquark. The particle physics community as a whole did not view their existence as likely by 2006 and, by 2008, considered evidence to be overwhelmingly against the existence of the reported pentaquarks. Since baryons are composed of quarks, they participate in the strong interaction. The most famous baryons are the protons and neutrons that make up most of the mass of the visible matter in the universe. Each baryon has a corresponding antiparticle known as an antibaryon in which quarks are replaced by their corresponding antiquarks. For example, a proton is made of two up quarks and one down quark (diagram pictured), while its corresponding antiparticle, the antiproton, is made of two up antiquarks and one down antiquark. (Full list...)
January 30
The National Basketball Association's (NBA) Rookie of the Year Award is an annual NBA honor given to the top rookie(s) of the regular season. Initiated following the 1952–53 NBA season, it confers the Eddie Gottlieb Trophy, named after the former Philadelphia Warriors head coach. The winner is selected by a panel of US and Canadian sportswriters, each casting first, second, and third-place votes. The most recent Rookie of the Year winner is Michael Carter-Williams. Fourteen winners have also won the NBA Most Valuable Player Award in their careers; Wilt Chamberlain (pictured) and Wes Unseld earned both honors in a single season. Three seasons had joint winners, and four players—Ralph Sampson, David Robinson, Blake Griffin, and Damian Lillard—won the award unanimously by capturing all of the first-place votes. (Full list...)