The first Monday after Epiphany was the day for the menfolk to return to work after the holidays — although no work was actually done on this day. Dressed in clean white smocks decorated with ribbons, the men dragged a plow (plough) through the village and collected money for the “plow light” that was kept burning in the church all year. Often men from several farms joined together to pull the plow through all their villages. They sang and danced their way from village to village to the accompaniment of music. In the evening, each farmer provided a Plough Monday supper for his workers, with plentiful beef and ale for all.
Daily Calendar for Monday, January 8, 2024
Died
- Galileo (astronomer) –
- Eli Whitney (inventor) –
- Terry-Thomas (comedian) –
- Dave Thomas (Wendy’s fast food entrepreneur) –
- Alexander Prokhorov (Russian scientist who shared the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1964 for work that led to the development of the laser) –
- Yvonne De Carlo (actress best known as Lily Munster on The Munsters) –
- Iwao Takamoto (cartoonist; created Scooby Doo) –
- Art Clokey (creator of Gumby and Pokey) –
Born
- Jonathan Belcher (Colonial governor and merchant) –
- John Carrol (founded Georgetown University) –
- Alfred Wallace (naturalist) –
- Frank Nelson Doubleday (publisher) –
- Larry Storch (actor) –
- Bill Graham (producer) –
- Elvis Presley (American entertainer ) –
- Bob Eubanks (game show host) –
- Graham Chapman (actor) –
- Stephen Hawking (physicist) –
- David Bowie (singer) –
- Jeff Francis (baseball player) –
- Gaby Hoffmann (actress) –
Events
- First State of the Union message, delivered by President George Washington–
- President George Washington delivered first State of the Union address–
- The 11th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, modifying the power of the Supreme Court, was ratified–
- First soup kitchens opened in London for the relief of the poor–
- Lewis and Clark saw a 105-foot-long whale skeleton in NW Oregon–
- Andrew Jackson defeated the British at the Battle of New Orleans (War of 1812)–
- Joseph Lister published the results of his study of antiseptic surgical methods. His use of carbolic acid to sterilize instuments and wounds trebles the survival rate of his patients–
- President Wilson delivered his Fourteen Points speech, suggesting the creation of a League of Nations–
- The Dow Jones industrial stock average passed the 2,000 mark–
- In Singapore, a barge accidentally rammed Jacques Cousteau’s Calypso, causing it to sink in the harbor (it was later raised)–
Weather
- New York City stayed below zero degrees F all day–
- Record cold hit Nevada, -50 degrees F at San Jacinto–
- January 6 to 8: A Nor’easter dumped record snow along the U.S. East Coast –
- Operation Recuperation began after ice storm hit New Brunswick, Ontario, and Quebec–
- 15,000+ troops began aid during a multiday ice storm in Ontario and Quebec.–