January 14 Birthday
January 14, 2011: Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, the president of Tunisia for twenty-three years, fled to Saudi Arabia after weeks of protests that began with a fruit vendor named Mohamed Bouazizi. Bouazizi had set himself on fire on December 17 after police confiscated his produce cart and slapped him. He died eighteen days later. His death ignited protests that spread from Sidi Bouzid across the country, and then across the region. The Arab Spring toppled governments in Egypt, Libya, and Yemen; triggered civil wars in Syria and Libya; and sent shockwaves that reshaped the Middle East. The outcomes were mostly disastrous. Tunisia, where it began, is the one country that emerged with a functioning democracy. In 1639, the Fundamental Orders of Connecticut were adopted in Hartford. The document established a government for the Connecticut River towns of Windsor, Hartford, and Wethersfield. It is considered by some historians to be the first written constitution in Western history, predating the US Constitution by 148 years. It was created because the towns had no formal charter and needed a structure for collective decision-making. The document was remarkably secular for its time — it mentioned God but did not require church membership for voting, which was a radical departure from the Massachusetts Bay model. Joe DiMaggio married Marilyn Monroe on January 14, 1954, at San Francisco City Hall. It was a union of America's most famous athlete and its most famous actress. The marriage lasted 274 days. DiMaggio was possessive and controlling; Monroe was independent and restless. After they divorced, DiMaggio sent roses to her crypt three times a week for twenty years. He never remarried and never spoke publicly about her. When she died in 1962, it was DiMaggio who arranged the funeral and barred the Hollywood elite from attending. Julian Bond, born this day in 1940, was a founder of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, a Georgia state legislator, and the chairman of the NAACP. He was elected to the Georgia House of Representatives in 1965 but was denied his seat by white colleagues because of his opposition to the Vietnam War. The Supreme Court ordered him seated unanimously. He was the first African American nominated for Vice President at a major party convention, in 1968, though he was too young to serve. People born on January 14 fall under the zodiac sign of Capricorn. The birthstone is Garnet and the birth flower is Carnation. Historical events on January 14 include 1639: Fundamental Orders of Connecticut adopted (first written constitution in America), 1954: Joe DiMaggio marries Marilyn Monroe, 2011: Tunisian president Zine El Abidine Ben Ali flees, triggering Arab Spring. Famous people born on January 14 include Faye Dunaway (1941), Julian Bond (1940), LL Cool J (1968).