On this day in the year 49 before the common era (BCE), Julius Caesar defies the Roman Senate and crosses the Rubicon, commemorating the moment with the famous words alea iacta est, meaning the die is cast and signaling the start of civil war which culminated in his appointment as Roman dictator for life…which was shorter than he expected on account of the way in which he seized power. Four hundred and thirty years later, in the year 381 of the common era (CE), the Roman Emperor Theodosius I issues an edict ordering all churches to be surrendered to bishops of the Catholic faith…as he sees it, and the folly of imperialism continued to wreak havoc on the lives of ordinary people.
In the year 1776 CE, Thomas Paine publishes his political pamphlet "Common Sense" advocating for American independence from the British Empire, ninety-four years later John D. Rockefeller, his brother and other Partners form the company, Standard Oil of New York (SONY) and it controls ten percent of the global oil reserves.
In 1920 CE the inauguration of the League of Nations occurs in Paris; seven years later, Fritz Lang's silent film "Metropolis" premieres in Berlin, and one year after that Leon Trotsky is exiled by the Soviet Union.
In 1949 CE, RCA introduces the 45 RPM record.
In 1951 CE, the United Nations headquarters opens in Manhattan; one year later Cecil B. DeMille’s The Greatest Show on Earth, premieres in New York, my mother was cast as extra during the filming near Sarasota, Florida.
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