We began the transition from the year of the Yin Earth Pig/Boar , with the year of the Yang Metal Rat celebration beginning January 25^th, 2020. GengZi 庚子, the Year of the Golden (Yang Metal) Rat begins February 4, 2020. This is also the “real” first day of spring, the commonly accepted Western first day of spring March 20^th is actually the peak of spring, each day after we transition towards Summer. The last day of the year of the Rat is February 11, 2021. The Lunar New Year (Chinese New Year) occurs on the second new moon after the winter solstice. The festival lasts approximately two weeks and ends with the Full Moon Festival of Heaven or Festival of Lanterns on February 8^th.

The Rat begins a new twelve year cycle and the next Metal Rat year will not occur again until 2080. As the story is told, when the Jade Emperor gathered the animals together to create the calendar the Rat was riding on the back of the Ox and when they were approaching the Emperor the Rat jumped off the Ox’s back and ran to the Emperor, thus arriving first. The Ox second, followed by the other animals with the Pig/Boar last. Hence the order of the 12 Animal system.

Each Rat year is a sign of a new beginning a type of renewal with a new energy cycle. “The Rat symbol is symbolic of adaptability, kindness, creativity, foresight, and intelligence. It is also known for success, expanse, stealth, strength, and the ability to solve problems that other people cannot. (Master Tang)”

Ken Cohen states the “Positive Side: The fact that this year is the beginning of the 12-year cycle and the elements are in harmony means that it should be a relatively good year for creativity, prosperity, education, romance, and to re-dedicate yourself to health and balance.

Negative Side: However, because earth element is lacking and metal could be interpreted as sinking into the water, it is important to be extra careful that you build a stable foundation under whatever you do—whether building a house, studying a subject, or starting a new job or relationship. Also, metal and water are cold and relate to autumn and winter. The cold attitude of people in a position of power or authority and the cold nature of large institutions, such as government and corporations, will be even more apparent, which means continuing worldwide protests against injustice, especially in the autumn and winter seasons. It is interesting to note that the Boxer Rebellion, one of the most famous Chinese revolts against colonialism, peaked in 1900, a Metal Rat Year. (Ken Cohen)”

“As I mentioned in my Winter Greetings in early November 2019, the cosmological energy this winter season has weakened the lung function and/or immune system of many… The off-season warmth many of us experienced this winter is turning towards a cold spring and this pattern of cosmological Qi I am afraid will not be much better for many people. The new cold spring Qi has already begun to influence those people who suffer from joint pain and/or lower back pain. It is possible that this pattern is also weakening the function of some people’s liver, heart, and/or lung. Even now near the close of the winter season, the world is watching the Wuhan coronavirus as it spreads in China and beyond. In Chinese tradition, Rat is a symbol for brilliance, deep wisdom and strong new life energy. It has the most honored position of being the very first animal symbol in the Chinese zodiac. Rat brings the power to shake off any old patterns of stagnation to create power and usher in new energy into your life. The Rat is inherently noble and prosperous. Perhaps under the influence of Yang Metal energy, this year brings the potential for double prosperity into our lives? The word for “metal” in Chinese in Jin 金, which we also use to mean gold. (Master Wu)”

In our article 2019 Year of the Yin Earth Pig, we predicted based on prior Earth Pig years “we see the tendency for: severe weather, erratic weather patterns (as in the USA deep freeze of 1899), buildup of tensions with communist/socialist groups and countries, promotion of/use of electric cars, expansion of trade, revolutionary inventions (vulcanized rubber production), etc… JiHai己亥 (Yin Earth Pig) energy suggests that we will have even more dramatic, changing weather patterns in coming year. The extremely dangerous cold that has descended upon the US, from the Midwest to the East Coast, these last several days, is a signal of the upcoming weather craziness this year.

Review the lists below for a more thorough understanding of the past cycles.

1960

(https://www.onthisday.com/events/date/1960, https://worldhistoryproject.org/1960)

• Senator John F. Kennedy, announces his candidacy for the US Presidency
• European Free Trade Association forms in Stockholm (predecessor to the European Union)
• US & Japan sign joint defense treaty
• Capital Airlines Flight 20 crashes in Virginia, killing all 50 people on-board
• US President Eisenhower & Premier Kishi sign US-Japanese Security pact
• Rock falls traps 437 at Coalbrook, South Africa; 417 die of methane poisoning
• Algeria uprises against French president De Gaulle
• Dutch communist trade union EVC’58 disbands
• African National Party is founded in Chad
• students stage 1st civil rights sit-in, at Woolworth’s in Greensboro, North Carolina
• Old handwriting found in at Qumran, near the Dead Sea
• Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom issued an Order-in-Council, stating that she and her family would be known as the House of Windsor, and that her descendants will take the name “Mountbatten-Windsor”
• Chinese army kills 12 Indian soldiers
• France performs 1st nuclear test at Reggane Proving Grounds Algeria
• US nuclear submarine USS Triton set off on underwater round-world trip
• VIII Winter Olympic Games open in Squaw Valley, California
• Protest strike in Poznan, Poland
• Italian government of Segni falls
• Soviet premier Nikita Khrushchev voices support for Indonesia
• Oil pipe line from Rotterdam to Ruhrgebied opens
• 9th largest snowfall in NYC history (14.5″)
• Agadir earthquake in Morocco kills a third of the population (12,000-15,000)
• French freighter “La Coubre” explodes in Havana Cuba, killing 100
• The Aquatic Ape Hypothesis originates when Alister Hardy publicly announces his idea that ape-human divergence may have been due to a coastal phase.
• USSR agrees to stop nuclear testing
• 14 die in a train crash in Bakersfield Calif
• US President Eisenhower forms anti-Castro-exile army under the CIA
• Sharpeville Massacre: Police kill 72 in South Africa & outlaws ANC
• 1st guided missile launched from nuclear powered sub (Halibut)
• Iraq executes 30 after attack on President Kassem
• 2nd French atom bomb explodes (Sahara)
• 1st weather satellite launched (TIROS 1)
• Senegal declares independence from France
• US Senate passes Civil Rights Bill with measures against discriminatory voting pracrices
• Brasilia becomes capital of Brazil
• Founding of the Orthodox Bahá’í Faith in Washington, D.C.
• Heavy earthquake strikes South Persia, 500 killed
• 1st submerged circumnavigation of Earth completed by USS submarine Triton in 60 days, 21 hours
• Togo (formerly French Togo) declares independence from French administration
• India’s Bombay state split into Gujarat & Maharashtra states
• Russia shoots down Francis Gary Powers’ U-2 spy plane over Sverdlovsk
• US House of Representatives investigating committee, looking into payola questions
• Leonid Brezhnev replaces Kliment Voroshilov as President of USSR
• USSR & Cuba resume diplomatic relations
• US becomes the first country to legalize the birth control pill
• USSR launch 1st (unmanned) space capsule
• 1st atomic reactor system patented by J W Flora of Canoga Park, California
• Theodore Maiman operates the first optical laser, at Hughes Research Laboratories in Malibu, California
• Tsunami strikes Hilo, Hawaii at 01:04 AM, severely damaging virtually all coastal towns between the 37th and 44th parallels
• 1 millionth Dutch telephone installed
• Federation of Mali and Senegal become independent of France
• Japan signs security treaty with the US
• The independent Somali Democratic Republic, commonly known as Somalia, is formed out of former British and Italian territories
• Fidel Castro nationalizes Esso, Shell & Texaco in Cuba
• USSR shoots down US RB-47 reconnaissance plane
• Belgium sends troops to Congo
• Ivory Coast, Dahomey, Upper Volta and Niger declare independence
• Congo, Chad and Central African Republic declare independence
• USSR’s Sputnik 5 launched with 2 dogs
• Islamabad declared as the federal capital of the Government of Pakistan
• Race riot in Jacksonville, Florida
• -127°F (-88°C), Vostok, Antarctica (world record)
• The first election of the Parliament of the Central Tibetan Administration, in history of Tibet. The Tibetan community observes this date as the Democracy Day.
• Iraq, Iran, Kuwait, Saudi-Arabia and Venezuela form the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC)
• Cuban leader Fidel Castro delivers a 4 hour and 29 minute long speech at the United Nations
• Cyclone hits coast of Gulf of Bengal; about 4000 die
• Hurricane ravages East-Pakistan (6,000 die)
• 1st electronic wrist watch placed on sale, NYC
• Cyclone hits coast of Gulf of Bengal; about 10,000 die
• Richard Nixon and John F. Kennedy Appear in First Televised Presidential Debate
• John F. Kennedy is elected President of the United States, defeating Republican candidate Richard Nixon who was the incumbent Vice President
• Coup against South Vietnamese President Ngô Đình Diệm fails
• 2 passenger trains collided at high-speed killing 110 (Czech)
• Belgium threatens to leave UN due to criticism on its policy on Congo
• First atomic reactor for research & development, Richland, Wa
• CBS radio expands hourly news coverage from 5 to 10 minutes
• Black Sunday – Riot in Algiers, 114 die
• The National Liberation Front, better known as the Viet Cong, is officially formed in South Vietnam
• King Saud of Saudi Arabia takes power

1900

(https://www.onthisday.com/events/date/1900, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1900)

• Compulsory education in Netherlands goes into effect
• British protectorates of Northern and Southern Nigeria are established
• John Hay announces the Open Door Policy to promote trade with China.
• Irish leader John Edward Redmond calls for a revolt against British rule
• Boers attack at Ladysmith, about 1,000 killed or injured
• Freeland Colony founded in US (It was meant to serve as a model which would convert the rest of Washington and later the entire continent to socialism. )
• The United States Senate accepts the Anglo-German treaty of 1899 in which the United Kingdom renounces its claims to the Samoan islands, US gains control of Somoa
• The second contingent of Canadian troops sails from Halifax to fight in South Africa against the Boers
• Social Democrat Party of America (Debs’ party) holds 1st convention
• American League organized in Buffalo, Chicago, Cleveland, Detroit, Indianapolis, Kansas City, Milwaukee and Minneapolis
• Gubernatorial candidate William Goebel is assassinated in Frankfort, Kentucky
• The United States and the United Kingdom sign treaty for Panama Canal
• Russia responds to international pressure to free Finland by tightening imperial control over the country
• 1st Chinese daily newspaper in US publishes (Chung Sai Yat Po, San Francisco)
• In London, the Trades Union Congress and the Independent Labour Party (formed in 1893) meet, results in a Labour Representative Committee and eventually the modern Labour Party in 1906
• US Steel Corporation organizes
• After a meeting in Indianapolis, USA, a group forms the Social Democratic Party and nominates Eugene Debs as its candidate for President in the forthcoming election (becomes the Socialist Party in 1901)
• In France the length of the working day for women and children is limited by law to 11 hours
• US currency goes on gold standard after Congress passes the Currency Act
• Japan uses its influence over Korea to deny Russia’s efforts to obtain a naval station at Korean Port of Masampo, the lead up to the Russo-Japanese war
• US Socialist Party forms in Indianapolis
• Assassination attempt on Prince of Wales, later British King Edward VII when shot by Jean-Baptiste Sipido in protest over Boer war
• Attempted assassination of Edward Prince of Wales in Brussels, fails
• The US Congress passes the Foraker Act, establishing Puerto Rico as an unincorporated territory (effective 1 May)
• US Post Office issues 1st books of postage stamps
• Casey Jones dies heroically in a train wreck at Vaughn, Mississippi, while driving Cannonball Express (immortalized in”Ballad of Casey Jones”)
• Britain proclaims protectorate over Kingdom of Tonga
• Total solar eclipse occurs
• US troops, along with French and UK troops arrive in Beijing, help put down Boxer Rebellion
• British army occupies Pretoria, South Africa
• US Congress pass an act authorizing a civil code and government for the territory of Alaska after gold discoveries bring lawlessness and disorder to the area
• In China, Boxers destroy the race course in Peking, a few miles from the legations and the center and symbol of diplomatic social life and Western privilege.
• In Germany, the Reichstag pass the second Navy Bill, which calls for doubling the German Navy within 20 years
• In China, Baron von Kettler, the German minister to China, beats two young Boxers with his walking stick; when word of this circulates, rioting and arson spread throughout Peking during the night
• The Young Turks present a manifesto to the major foreign embassies in Constantinople demanding that these foreign powers end the Ottoman Sultan’s rule
• Dutch Social-Democratic Workers’ party & Socialistenbond merge
• Russia mobilizes its army in eastern Siberia preparatory to acting against the Chinese, but also in an attempt to diminish the influence of Japan on the Asian mainland
• Dunhuang manuscripts, including the Diamond Sutra, world’s oldest surviving dated book, discovered by Daoist monk Wang Yuanlu in the Mogao Caves, China
• Japan mobilizes 20,000 troops to help put down the Boxer uprising in China and to advance their long-term interest in gaining land and power in mainland Asia
• The Imperial Chinese Court issues what is essentially a declaration of war against the foreigners in China and blames hostilities on them, giving license to Boxers for even greater ferocity
• Trying to stem the growing popular resentment, Tsar Nicholas of Russia issues a decree that abolishes the banishment of dissidents and troublemakers to Siberia
• The Commonwealth of Australia is established by the British House of Commons
• 114°F (46°C), Basin, Wyoming (state record)
• Pan-African Congress meets in London
• British Parliament passes several progressive social acts: a Mines Act, a Workmen’s Compensation Act and a Railway Act
• Firestone Tire and Rubber Company founded
• In Russia, anti-Jewish riots spread from Odessa into other parts of the country
• An allied expeditionary force, made up of Japanese, Russian, British, French and American troops, sets off from Tientsin for Peking, China, to put down Boxer rebellion
• 1st electric tram in Netherland (Leidseplein-Brouwersgracht)
• The Boxer Rebellion: In China, the Empress, her family and court retainers flee while foreign troops move through Peking in an attempt to quell the rebellion
• Japan’s primary school law is amended to provide for four years of mandatory schooling.
• Telegraph use between Germany & US begins
• 6,000 killed when a hurricane & tidal wave strikes Galveston, Texas
• Philippine-American War: Filipinos under Juan Cailles defeat Americans under Colonel Benjamin F. Cheatham at Mabitac
• In a final confrontation, around 4,000 Ashantis are defeated by the British in the Gold Coast (Ghana)
• 8.3 magnitude earthquake shakes Cape Yakataga, Alaska
• Foreign ministers in Peking begin their first serious negotiations over what conditions their nations will impose on the Chinese after putting down the Boxer uprising
• Under US military control since the end of the Spanish-American War in 1898, Cuba now calls its own constitutional convention
• Republican US President William McKinley and his Vice President, Theodore Roosevelt, defeat Democrat William Jennings Bryan
• France and Italy sign a secret agreement by which Italy recognizes France’s right to exploit Morocco in return for France’s conceding her the same right in Tripol
• New Ellis Island Immigration station completed costing $1.5 million
• Giacobini discovers a comet (will be 1st comet visited by spacecraft)
• As American forces defeat the Filipino insurgents and impose civil authority, some Filipinos form a Federal Party with a platform recognizing US sovereignty
• Foreign powers present the Chinese Empress with their list of ‘irrevocable conditions’ before their nations will withdraw troops from China

1840

(https://www.onthisday.com/events/date/1840)

• 1st deep sea sounding by James Clark Ross in south Atlantic at 2425 fathoms (14,450 feet)
• Records show 95,820 licensed public houses in England on this date
• The steamship Lexington burns and sinks four miles off the coast of Long Island with the loss of 139 lives
• Dutch King Willem II crowned
• American naval expedition under Charles Wilkes is first to identify Antarctica as a new continent
• First Governor of New Zealand and co-author of the Treaty of Waitangi Captain William Hobson arrives in the Bay of Islands, NZ
• The Treaty of Waitangi is signed between 40 Māori Chiefs (later signed by 500) and representatives of the British crown in Waitangi, New Zealand. The treaty was designed to share sovereignty between the two groups.
• Foundation stone for new Palace of Westminster, London, laid by Sarah Barry wife of its architect Charles Barry
• “Penny Black”, the world’s first adhesive postage stamp issued by Great Britain
• Thomas Carlyle begins his famous lecture series “The Hero as Divinity”, later collected in his book “On Heroes, Hero-Worship, and The Heroic in History”
• Tornado strikes Natchez, Mississippi, kills 317
• The transporting of British convicts to the New South Wales colony is abolished
• Captain William Hobson proclaims British sovereignty over New Zealand; the North Island by treaty and the South Island by ‘discovery’
• Meteorite hits Uden, Netherlands
• Samuel Morse patents his telegraph
• The Cunard Line’s 700 ton wooden paddle steamer RMS Britannia departs from Liverpool bound for Halifax, Nova Scotia on the first transatlantic crossing with a scheduled end
• Labourer slaves in most of the British Empire are emancipated
• Willem I resigns as king of Netherlands
• Maronite leader Bashir II surrenders to the British forces and goes into exile in Malta
• William Henry Harrison elected the 9th President of the United States of America
• Napoleon Bonaparte receives a French state funeral in Paris 19 years after his death

We began the transition from the year of the Yang Earth Dog in January 2019, with the year of the Yin Earth Pig/Boar beginning February 4^th 2019. This is also the “real” first day of spring, the commonly accepted Western first day of spring March 20^th is actually the peak of spring, each day after we transition towards Summer.

Pigs are diligent, compassionate, and generous. They have great concentration, once they set a goal, they will devote all their energy to achieving it. Pigs never suspect trickery, and are susceptible to being fooled.

Pigs are fairly calm when faced with trouble. No matter how difficult the problems are, they can handle things properly and carefully.

Master Zhongxian Wu states, “in China, the pig is a symbol of relaxation, caution, bravery, knowledge and faith. Chinese parents are happy to have babies born during the year of the Pig, as they believe the children will be blessed with an easy going personality, great intelligence and will grow to have a rich, noble life. (https://bluewillow88.wordpress.com/2019/02/08/xinniankuaile/)”

2019 being a Yin Earth Pig year is very interesting, given that Earth and Pigs are also Yin. This will magnify the traits of being: reflective, gathering, patience, waiting, being resourceful, etc… Earth also represents hidden potential, silence, retreat, passiveness. “Even though the earth is a great supplier, it does so silently. Human life does not go on forever (nothing does); sooner or later it will reach an end. This is a fact. Nobody should feel sad or regretful, because it cannot be prevented. Instead people should develop an attitude of confronting and dealing with an ending or stopping. But human nature favors startings and rejects endings, celebrates developings and regrets sustainings. Why must this be so, when much goodness can be derived from a stop?… The principle of withdrawal and how one utilizes it can work in favor of one’s objectives and constitute a great wisdom. Therefore, cultivating an attitude of withdrawal is beneficial… (Dr. Chang,Integral Management of Tao )”

The pig represents the end of the Chinese animal zodiac cycle, and earth, as stated above also represents and ending. Pig years are a great time to reflect on the lessons of the prior years, and making preparations for the new cycle which will occur in 2020.

Earth pig years are a great time for prosperity, being fortunate and lucky, however, it is important to balance this out with proper mindfulness as to not become greedy—fat, lazy etc…

This is a great year to get your personal and business finances in order and to come up with plans to reduce debt and increase savings/investments.

In our article 2018 Year of the Yang Earth Dog, we predicted based on prior Earth Dog years that “Nationally and globally, there is the potential for things to be “all over the place”, however, usually the nature of the Earth will calm down the tendency for the dog to fight for control, dominance or power. Prior Dog years saw expansion and innovation of space exploration, and also saw buildups to military conflict in the Middle East and Cuba, Spain, South Africa etc… Nuclear issues became a major concern in 1958 with the buildup of arsenals and several accidents involving nuclear weapons.”

When we examine prior Earth Pig years we see the tendency for: severe weather, erratic weather patterns (as in the USA deep freeze of 1899), buildup of tensions with communist/socialist groups and countries, promotion of/use of electric cars, expansion of trade, revolutionary inventions (vulcanized rubber production), etc… “JiHai 己亥 (Yin Earth Pig) energy suggests that we will have even more dramatic, changing weather patterns in coming year. The extremely dangerous cold that has descended upon the US, from the Midwest to the East Coast, these last several days, is a signal of the upcoming weather craziness this year. (Master Wu)”

Review the lists below for a more thorough understanding of the past cycles.

1959

(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1959, https://www.onthisday.com/events/date/1959, http://www.fsmitha.com/time/1959.htm)

• Cuba: Fulgencio Batista flees Havana when the forces of Fidel Castro advance.
• The Soviet Union successfully launches the Luna 1 spacecraft from Baikonur Cosmodrome.
• Alaska is admitted as the 49th U.S. state.
• In Cuba, rebel troops led by Che Guevara and Camilo Cienfuegos enter the city of Havana.
• The United States recognizes the new Cuban government of Fidel Castro.
• Charles de Gaulle is inaugurated as the first president of the French Fifth Republic.
• Cuban communists execute 71 supporters of Fulgencio Batista.
• The European Court of Human Rights is established.
• Knox Mine Disaster: Water breaches the River Slope Mine in Port Griffith, Pennsylvania near Pittston, Pennsylvania; 12 miners are killed.
• Pope John XXIII announces that the Second Vatican Council will be convened in Rome.
• Walt Disney releases his 16th animated film, Sleeping Beauty in Beverly Hills.
• A referendum in Switzerland turns down female suffrage.
• A chartered plane transporting musicians Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and The Big Bopper with pilot Roger Peterson goes down in foggy conditions near Clear Lake, Iowa, killing all four on board.
• At Cape Canaveral, Florida, the first successful test firing of a Titan intercontinental ballistic missile is accomplished.
• Vanguard 2, the first weather satellite, is launched to measure cloud cover for the United States Navy.
• The United Kingdom decides to grant independence to Cyprus.
• Mattel‘s Barbie doll debuts in the United States.
• The Dalai Lama is granted asylum in India.

• National People’s Congress elects Liu Shaoqi as Chairman of the People’s Republic of China, as a successor of Mao Zedong.
• USA Florida, Cape Canaveral: Jupiter AM-18 launches two monkeys, Miss Able and Miss Baker, into space along with living microorganisms and plant seeds. Successful recovery makes them the first living beings to return safely to Earth after space flight.
• Groups of Kurdish and communist militias rebel in Kirkuk, Iraq against the central government.
• Hawaii is admitted as the 50th U.S. state.
• Typhoon Vera hits central Honshū, Japan, as a 160 mph Category 5 storm, killing an estimated 5,098, injuring another 38,921, and leaving 1,533,000 homeless. Most of the victims and damage are centered in the Nagoya area.
• The Declaration of the Rights of the Child is adopted by the United Nations.
• Cold War – Antarctic Treaty: 12 countries, including the United States and the Soviet Union, sign a landmark treaty that sets aside Antarctica as a scientific preserve and bans military activity on the continent (the first arms control agreement established during the Cold War).
• The Workers World Party is founded by Sam Marcy.
• The Caspian tiger becomes extinct in Iran.
• The Henney Kilowatt goes on sale in the United States, becoming the first mass-produced electric car in almost three decades.

1899

(https://www.onthisday.com/events/date/1899, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1899_in_the_United_States, https://worldhistoryproject.org/1899)

• Cuba liberated from Spanish rule by the US, American occupation continues till 1902
• 1st known use of the word “automobile”, appears in an editorial in The New York Times
• Lynmouth Lifeboat rescues 18 people from the stricken schooner Forest Hall off the coast of Devon
• US takes possession of Wake Island in the Pacific
• Opel manufactures its first automobile
• Leaders of six Australian colonies meet in Melbourne to discuss confederation
• Emilio Aguinaldo is sworn in as President of the First Philippine Republic
• Rubber heel for boots or shoes patented by American Humphrey O’Sullivan
• American Social Science Association incorporated by Congress
• The Philippine-American War begins with fighting between American and Philippine revolutionary forces
• Spanish-American War ends, peace treaty ratified by Senate
• Feb deep freeze:
  • -15°F (-26°C), Washington, D.C. (district record)
  • -39°F (-39°C), Milligan, Ohio (state lowest record temperature)
  • -61°F, Montana (record low temperature)
  • -47°F (-44°C), Camp Clarke, Nebraska (state record)
  • -1°F (-18°C) New Orleans, La
  • -16°F (-27°C), Minden Louisiana (state record)
  • -2°F (-19°C) Tallahassee, Florida (state record)

• President of France Félix Faure dies in office.
• George Dewey becomes 1st in US to hold the rank of Admiral of the Navy
• Cyclone Mahina sweeps in north of Cooktown, Queensland, with a 12 m wave that reaches up to 5 km inland – over 300 dead.
• “Aspirin” (acetylsalicylic acid) patented by Felix Hoffmann at German company Bayer
• Windsor luxury hotel in NYC catches fire, 92 die
• Treaty of Paris ratifies ends war; Spain cedes Puerto Rico to US
• Ernest Rutherford publishes his discovery of two different kinds of radiation (Alpha and Beta Particles)
• First speeding infraction by a New York cabbie driving an electric car – 12mph down Lexington Street
• National Brotherhood of Electrical Workers forms
• Gideon Society established to place bibles in hotels
• The First Hague Convention is signed.
• 8.3 earthquake shakes Yakutat Bay Alaska
• British government sends an additional 10,000 troops to Natal, South Africa
• 2nd quake in 7 days (8.6) hits Yakutat Bay Alaska
• African-American inventor Issac R. Johnson patents the bicycle frame
• South African Boers declare war on Great Britain
• Morning Post reporter Winston Churchill captured by Boers in Natal
• 1st case of plague on Oahu, Hawaii
• British fleet seizes German Imperial Mail Steamer Bundesrath accused of carrying contraband

1839

(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1839, https://www.onthisday.com/events/date/1839)

• 1st photo of the Moon (French photographer Louis Daguerre)
• Daguerreotype photo process announced at French Academy of Science
• Thomas Henderson measures 1st stellar parallax (Alpha Centauri)
• Tea from India 1st arrives in UK
• Earthquake at Martinique destroys half of Port Royal – 700 die
• Anthracite coal 1st used to smelt iron, Mauch Chunk, Penn
• Aden conquered by British East India Company
• Battle of Yungay, Chile defeats a Peruvian and Bolivian alliance
• Charles Darwin elected Fellow of the Royal Society
• Aroostoock (or “Pork & Beans) War: Boundary dispute between Maine & New Brunswick
• US Congress prohibits dueling in District of Columbia
• Steam shovel patented by William Otis, Philadelphia
• Prussian government limits work week for children to 51 hours
• Treaty of London constitutes Belgium an independent kingdom & Luxembourg a Grand Duchy
• Hawaiian Declaration of Rights is signed
• King of Hawaii Kamehameha III issues Edict of toleration which gives Roman Catholics freedom to worship in the Hawaiian Islands. The Hawaii Catholic Church and the Cathedral of Our Lady of Peace is later established
• Abdul-Medjid succeeds Mahmud II as Sultan of Turkey
• Slaves aboard a Spanish schooner La Amistad revolt to secure their freedom while being transported from one Cuban port to another
• British capture Hong Kong from China
• The First Opium War begins in China
• Cherokee Nation unites and ratifies constitution at Tahlequah, Oklahoma
• Great fire in New York
• British troops under General Charles Napier occupy Beirut
• Cyclone slams south eastern India with high winds and a 40 foot storm surge, destroying city of Coringa. Storm waves sweep inland, destroying 20,000 ships and killing an estimated 300,000 people
• In the United States, the first state law permitting women to own property is passed in Jackson, Mississippi.
• The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, backed by the Russian Empire and the Austrian Empire, compels July Monarchy France to abandon Muhammad Ali of Egypt, and forces him to return Syria and Arabia to the Ottoman Empire.
• Emperor Minh Mạng renames Việt Nam to Đại Nam.
• Charles Goodyear vulcanizes rubber.

The transition from the year of the Yin Fire Rooster began January 2018, with the year of the Yang Earth Dog beginning February 4^th 2018. This is also the “real” first day of spring, the commonly accepted Western first day of spring March 20^th this year is actually the peak of spring, each day after we transition towards Summer.

What traits come to mind when you think of a dog: loyalty, courage, playfulness, protector, hunter, intelligence, empathy, leadership (alpha), stubborn, etc… In Taoism the Earth element represents: retreat, passiveness, silence. Even though the earth is a great supplier it does so silently. This being a Yang year will amplify the nature of the Dog, however, the Earth will help temper the potential to exaggerate these traits.

Master Wu stated: “According to Chinese cosmology, the Earth Dog Year of 2018 will start on LiChun立春, February 4 at 05:28 (Beijing time), while Chinese New Year’s day this year will be February 16… For this coming energetic year, the Dog animal sign (Earthly Branch) indicates that the specific energetic qualities of nature associated with the Dog (such as intuitive, smart, artistic, cautious, social, honest, loyal, uneasy, evasive, or stubborn energy) will exert their influences on us human beings.

When properly harnessed, Dog energy will help you channel your truthful and creative nature towards completing tasks and striving to achieve your life’s greatest goals.

Left unchecked, Dog energy can easily trap you in some physical or emotional obstacle(s) that will make it virtually impossible to get anything done. (Master Zhongxian Wu)”

Earth Dog years are usually a good time to make progress on your goals, setup security etc… Be wary of the tendency to lash out quickly, temper your bark and bite or things could escalate quickly. Nurture the good attributes of the dog; this is not the time to be a rogue wolf, team building with the pack will ensure success.

Nationally and globally, there is the potential for things to be “all over the place”, however, usually the nature of the Earth will calm down the tendency for the dog to fight for control, dominance or power.

Prior Dog years saw expansion and innovation of space exploration, and also saw buildups to military conflict in the Middle East and Cuba, Spain, South Africa etc… Nuclear issues became a major concern in 1958 with the buildup of arsenals and several accidents involving nuclear weapons.

Let’s look at three prior Earth Dog years 1958, 1898 and 1838:

1958

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1958

http://www.historycentral.com/20th/1958.html

• The European Economic Community (EEC) comes into being.
• Sputnik 1 (launched on October 4, 1957) falls to Earth from its orbit and burns up.
• 14-year-old Bobby Fischer wins the United States Chess Championship.
• The Moroccan Army of Liberation ambushes a Spanish patrol in the Battle of Edchera.
• In the Battle of Hayes Pond, armed Lumbee Indians routed a gathering of Klansmen in Maxton, North Carolina.
• Soviet-American executive agreement on cultural, educational and scientific exchanges, also known as the “Lacy–Zarubin agreement”, is signed in Washington, D.C.
• Godtfred Kirk Christiansen files a patent for the iconic plastic Lego brick. From its foundation, his company will make 400 billion Lego elements.
• The first successful American satellite, Explorer 1, is launched into orbit.
• Egypt and Syria unite to form the United Arab Republic.
• The Tybee Bomb, a 7,600 pound (3,500 kg) Mark 15 hydrogen bomb, is lost in the waters off Savannah, Georgia.
• Seven Manchester United footballers are among the 21 people killed in the Munich air disaster in West Germany
• The strongest ever known solar maximum is recorded.
• The Hashemite Kingdoms of Iraq and Jordan unite in the Arab Federation with King Faisal II of Iraq as head of state.
• Cuban rebels kidnap five-time world driving champion Juan Manuel Fangio, releasing him 28 hours later.
• In Cuba, Fidel Castro‘s Radio Rebelde begins broadcasting from Sierra Maestra.
• One of the worst school bus accidents in U.S. history occurs at Prestonburg, Kentucky; 27 are killed.
• A U.S. B-47 bomber accidentally drops an atom bomb on Mars Bluff, South Carolina.
• Nikita Khrushchev becomes Premier of the Soviet Union.
• Unemployment in Detroit reaches 20%, marking the height of the Recession of 1958 in the United States.
• Castro‘s revolutionary army begins its attacks on Havana.
• In the first protest march for the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament from Hyde Park, London to Aldermaston, Berkshire, demonstrators demand the banning of nuclear weapons.
• United Airlines Flight 736 is involved in a mid-air collision with a U.S. Air Force F-100F jet fighter near Las Vegas.
• French Algerian protesters seize government offices in Algiers, leading to a military coup.
• The Soviet Union launches Sputnik 3.
• The bodies of unidentified United States soldiers killed in action during World War II and the Korean War are buried at the Tomb of the Unknowns in Arlington National Cemetery.
• United States President Dwight D. Eisenhower signs the Alaska Statehood Act into law.
• 1958 Lituya Bay megatsunami: A 7.8 M_w strike-slip earthquake in Southeast Alaska causes a landslide that produces a megatsunami. The runup from the waves reaches 525 m (1,722 ft) on the rim of Lituya Bay.
• The first parking meters are installed in Britain.
• July 14 Revolution in Iraq. King Faisal is killed. Abdul Qassim assumes power.
• In Lebanon, 5,000 United States Marines land in the capital Beirut in order to protect the pro-Western government there.
• The U.S. Congress formally creates the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).
• The Tibetan resistance movement against rule by China receives support from the United States Central Intelligence Agency.
• Operation Argus: The United States begins nuclear tests over the South Atlantic.
• The first Cod War begins between the United Kingdom and Iceland.
• Jack Kilby invents the first integrated circuit while working at Texas Instruments.
• Hurricane Helene, the worst storm of the North Atlantic hurricane season, reaches category 4 status.
• The U.S.S.R. performs a nuclear test at Novaya Zemlya.
• Beginning of Great Chinese Famine.
• The Life Peerages Act entitles women to sit in the British House of Lords for the first time.
• The United States launches SCORE, the world’s first communications satellite.

1898

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1898

https://worldhistoryproject.org/1898/page/1

• New York City annexes land from surrounding counties, creating the City of Greater New York as the world’s second largest. The city is geographically divided into five boroughs: Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, The Bronx and Staten Island.
• The electric car belonging to Henry Lindfield of Brighton rolls out of control down a hill in Purley, London, England, and hits a tree; thus he becomes the world’s first fatality from an automobile accident on a public highway.
• Spanish–American War: The USS Maine explodes and sinks in Havana Harbor, Cuba, for reasons never fully established, killing 266 men. The event precipitates the United States’ declaration of war on Spain.
• Annie Oakley promotes the service of women in combat situations, with the United States military.
• Thousands of Chinese scholars, and Beijing citizens seeking reforms, protest in front of the capital control yuan.
• Bava-Beccaris massacre: Hundreds of demonstrators are killed, when General Fiorenzo Bava-Beccaris orders troops to fire on a rally in Milan, Italy.
• Spanish–American War: The Puerto Rican Campaign begins, with the Bombardment of San Juan.
• Secondo Pia takes the first photographs of the Shroud of Turin, and discovers that the image on the Shroud itself appears to be a photographic negative.
• The British government arranges a 99-year rent of Hong Kong from China.
• Spanish–American War: The United States captures Guam, making it the first U.S. overseas territory.
• Curtis Act of 1898 which would lead to the dissolution of tribal and communal lands in Indian Territory and ultimately the creation of the State of Oklahoma in 1907.
• Spanish–American War – Battle of San Juan Hill: United States troops (including Buffalo Soldiers and Theodore Roosevelt‘s Rough Riders) take a strategic position close to Santiago de Cuba from the Spanish.
• Spanish–American War – Battle of Santiago de Cuba: The United States Navy destroys the Spanish Navy‘s Caribbean Squadron.
• American pharmacist Caleb Bradham names his soft drink Pepsi-Cola.
• Italian anarchist Luigi Lucheni assassinates Empress Elisabeth of Austria in Geneva, as an act of propaganda of the deed.
• Battle of Sugar Point: Ojibwe tribesmen defeat U.S. government troops, in northern Minnesota.
• A two-day blizzard known as the Portland Gale piles snow in Boston, severely impacting the Massachusetts fishing industry, and several coastal New England towns.
• December 10 – The Treaty of Paris is signed, ending the Spanish–American War.
• As a result of the merger of several small oil companies, John D. Rockefeller‘s Standard Oil Company controls 84% of the USA’s oil, and most American pipelines.
• Theodore Roosevelt Elected Governor of New York

1838

https://worldhistoryproject.org/1838

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1838

• A fire destroys Lloyd’s Coffee House and the Royal Exchange in London.
• At Morristown, New Jersey, Samuel F.B. Morse, Alfred Vail and Leonard D. Gale give the first public demonstration of Morse’s new invention, the telegraph.
• Boer explorer Piet Retief and 60 of his men are massacred by King Dingane kaSenzangakhona of the Zulu people, after Retief accepts an invitation to celebrate the signing of a treaty, and his men willingly disarm as a show of good faith.
• A combination of rain and melting snow cause the Danube River to overflow its banks, washing away villages in western Hungary, and inundating what is now Budapest. More than 150 people are drowned, and Europe’s nations come to Hungary’s aid, to prevent the spread of famine and disease.
• Isambard Kingdom Brunel‘s paddle steamer SS Great Western (1838) makes the transatlantic crossing to New York from Avonmouth, England, in 15 days, inaugurating a regular steamship service.
• The People’s Charter is drawn up in the United Kingdom, demanding universal suffrage.
• Lord Durham and his entourage arrive in Upper Canada, to investigate the cause of the 1837 rebellion in that province
• Trail of Tears: The Cherokee Nation is forcibly relocated in the United States.
• Myall Creek massacre: 28 Indigenous Australians are killed.
• The coronation of Queen Victoria takes place at Westminster Abbey in London.
• Former slaves in Jamaica are freed of their indentures.
• Pastry War: Mexico is invaded by French forces.
• Battle of Blood River: The Boers win a decisive victory over the Zulus.
• First Anglo-Afghan War: British and Presidency armies set out from Punjab, in support of Shah Shujah Durrani‘s claim to the throne of Afghanistan.
• Missouri Mormon War