JANUARY 2 Poem by Michelle Grangaud

January - 1. Roman Empire, Praetorians assassinate the 2 ordinary consuls & proclaim Pertinax,
Prefect of the city, the new Emperor, in place of Commodus, strangled the day before.
Geza, Hungarian tribal chief converted to Christianity by wife Princess Gisela,
daughter of Otto the Great, has self crowned King of now Christian Hungary & takes Christian
name Stephen. — King of Navarre Charles II dies, leaving heirs only large debts.
— Granada surrender ensures Queen of Castile victory over Muslims. — Dutch fleet
and Portuguese fleet fighting for 3 days off coast of Java. — Parisian philanthropist
Pierre de Chamousset starts Petite Poste, first successful attempt to systematically
distribute mail with public letterboxes, earns philanthropist 50,000 livres
in first year alone. — French Republic divided into 83 départements. — After triumph
over Napoleon's troops, Dessalines proclaims independent Republic of Haiti.
— Spain, in village of Cabezas de San Juan, Colonel Riego, at head of battalion
on main square, proclaims 1812 Constitution. — China, Sun Yat-Sen proclaims
Republic, sworn in as President, promises religious tolerance & replaces lunar
calendar with solar. — Ceasefire line divides Kashmir in 2, one given to India, the other,
Azad Kashmir aka Free Kashmir, named Pakistan. — Cameroon proclaims independence
in French custody. — Colonel Jean Bedel Bokassa deposes Central African President
David Dacko, forced to cede powers. — France: for all babies born on this day,
gift of 100 euros on savings account. — Natanya, suicide bombing, 1 dead (the suicide)
& 19 injured. — In Leipzig, a profane cantata by Johann Sebastian Bach,
Die Zeit, die Tag und Jahre macht, 'Time which maketh day and year',
is sung for NewYear's Day.