L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, JANUARY 26, 2023 www.italoamericano.org 14 L'Italo-Americano LA VITA ITALIANA TRADITIONS HISTORY CULTURE D e a r R e a d e r s , January jot- tings with an Italian connec- t i o n . F o r a l l my readers born before 1945 consider the changes we have witnessed as we begin 2023. We were born before televi- sion, before penicillin, before p o l i o s h o t s , f r o z e n f o o d , Xerox, plastic, contact lenses, frisbees, and the pill. We were born before radar, cred- it cards, split atoms, laser beams, and ballpoint pens. Before pantyhose, dishwash- ers, clothes dryers, electric blankets, air conditioners, drip-dry clothes … and before man walked on the Moon. We got married first and t h e n l i v e d t o g e t h e r . H o w quaint can you be? In our time, closets were for clothes, not for "coming out of." Bun- nies were small rabbits, and bugs were not Volkswagens. We thought fast food was what you ate during Lent, and chip meant a piece of w o o d . H a r d w a r e m e a n t hardware, and software was- n't even a word. " G r a s s " w a s m o w e d , "coke" was a cold drink and "pot" was something your n o n n a b o i l e d w a t e r i n t o cook spaghetti for the fami- ly… *** January Almanac (Ital- ic Institute of America): Named after the Roman god Janus who was depicted with two faces, one looking to the past, the other to the future. January 1 A s t r o n o m e r G i u s e p p e Piazzi discovered the first asteroid in 1801 from his observatory in Palermo. He named it Ceres, after the mythological patroness of Sicily. January 2 S i n g e r J u l i u s L a R o s a , b o r n i n 1 9 3 0 , s a n g E Cumpari to the top of the charts in every Italian Ameri- c a n n e i g h b o r h o o d i n t h e U.S., Canada, and beyond. January 3 Roman statesman Marcus Tullius Cicero was born in 107 BC. Benito Mussolini assumed dictatorial powers in 1925. January 4 I n 1 9 5 4 R A I , I t a l y ' s national radio and television network initiated its first broadcast. January 5 The city of Rome began the use of gas street lamps in 1854. Catherine de Medici, who brought Italian culture and cuisine to France, died in 1589 at the age of 69. January 6 Count Giacomo Beltrami d i e d i n 1 8 5 5 . H e f i r s t explored the Mississippi river to its source in 1825. Beltra- mi County, MN, is named after him. January 7 In 1610, Galileo discovered the four largest satellites of the planet Jupiter. January 8 E l l a G r a s s o o f C T w a s inaugurated in 1975 as the first elected female governor in the U.S. Marco Polo died in Venice in 1324 after a life of travel and adventures. His tales of the Orient inspired Europe to search for shorter routes to East Asia. The discovery of America was one of the sur- prising results. January 9 Legend has it that pretzels were invented by an Italian monk in AD 610 to resemble a r m s a c r o s s t h e c h e s t i n prayer. January 10 In 49 BC, Roman consul Gaius Julius Caesar led his a r m y a c r o s s t h e R u b i c o n river and marched to Rome to assert his power. Two mil- l e n n i a l a t e r , t h e p h r a s e "crossing the Rubicon" will still be used to describe any bold or decisive action. January 11 In 1964, U.S. surgeon gen- eral Luther Terry issued the first government warning stating that smoking may be h a z a r d o u s t o a p e r s o n ' s health. January 12 Teatro San Carlo opened in Naples in 1817. The first Italian rocket was launched off the island of Sardegna in 1961, reaching an altitude of one hundred miles. January 14 Advancing our Legacy: Italian Community Services CASA FUGAZI If you know of any senior of Italian descent in San Francisco needing assistance, please contact: ItalianCS.org | (415) 362-6423 | info@italiancs.com Italian Community Services continues to assist Bay Area Italian-American seniors and their families navigate and manage the resources needed to live healthy, independent and productive lives. Since Shelter-in-Place began in San Francisco, Italian Community Services has delivered over 240 meals, over 900 care packages and made over 2000 phone wellness checks for our seniors. Puccini's Tosca premiered in 1900, in Rome. January 16 Italian dramatist/poet Vit- torio Alfieri was born in 1749. H e i s c o n s i d e r e d t h e " F o u n d e r o f I t a l i a n tragedies." January 17 In 1943, Italian military c o m m a n d e r s i n F r a n c e refused German demands to turn over all Jews in their zones of occupation. January 18 I t a l i a n r a c e r A l b e r t o Ascari in a Ferrari took first place in the first edition of the Formula One Argentine Grand Prix in Buenos Aires in 1953. January 19 Verdi's Il Trovatore pre- miered in 1853, in Rome. January 20 F i l m d i r e c t o r F e d e r i c o Fellini was born in 1920. January 21 Albert Dean Rosellini was born in 1910. He served as g o v e r n o r o f W a s h i n g t o n State from 1957 to 1965, the first Italian American and Roman Catholic governor elected west of the Mississip- pi river. January 22 Angelo Rossi was born in 1878. He served as mayor of San Francisco from 1931 to 1 9 4 4 . T h e G o l d e n G a t e Bridge project was undertak- en during his administration. *** N e w Y e a r ' s R e s o l u - t i o n s by Father Larry N. Lorenzoni, S.D.B.: Last year I made a list of things That I resolved to do I'll use that list again this year, It's still as good as new!

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