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Confuciusi Death (551-479 B.C.E.) : Peoples Republic of China. The day honoring Confucius is celebrated on the anniversary of his death. Confucius is revered by all Chinese as the iTeacher of All Generationsi

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Alice Brown Davis (1852-1935): American Indian (Seminole). Civic activist. Alice Brown Davis was prominent in tribal affairs for much of her life. She acted as an interpreter and spokesperson for her people in the courts and once as part of a delegation to Mexico that sought unsuccessfully to from a new homeland for the tribe, which was under increasing economic and legal pressure from the influx of white people into Indian territory. She also served briefly as director of a tribal boarding school for girls. In 1922 the U.S. government briefly appointed her chief, an office which had lapsed with the end of tribal government years before, but stripped her of the office when she refused to sign over tribal property without reimbursement.

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New Year: Coptic Orthodox Christian. This begins the year for the Coptic Orthodox Christian Church of Egypt, which follows a Julian calendar very similar to that of the Eastern Orthodox Christian Church. Christmas falls on January 7, Epiphany on January 19, and Easter follows the date of the Orthodox calendar as well. The Coptic Orthodox Church is based on the teachings of Saint Mark, who brought Christianity to Egypt in the first century. The Coptic Chruch has a structure distinct from the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Churches. The head of the church is Pope Shenouda III, believed to be the 117th successor of St Mark. There are approximately 9 million Copts living in Egypt, out of a total population of 57 million. The Copts religious observance often involves fasting. Out of the 365 day of the year, Copts fast for about 210 days, during which time no animal products are eaten, no and food or drink of any kind can be eaten between sunrise and sunset. Lent, known as the iGreat Fast,i starts with a pre-Lenten fast of one week and is then followed by a 40-day fast preceding Easter.

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Jesse Owens (1913-1980): African American. Owens won fame as the greatest track star of the century with victories in the 100-meter dash, broad jump, 200-meter dash, and 400-meter relay at the 1936 Olympics held in Berlin, Germany. His victories were and embarrassment to Adolf Hitler, who presided at the games as Chancellor of Germany and whose National Socialist (Nazi) Party held that African Americans were genetically inferior to whites.

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Alain Leroy Locke (1886-1954): African American. Educator, writer, and philosopher. The first African American Rhodes Scholar, Locke studied at Harvard, Oxford, and the University of Berlin. He chaired the philosophy department at Howard University for nearly 40 years. During his distinguished career, he published widely as an essayist, anthologist, and critic, and encouraged and interpreted the work of African American artists. He is generally regarded as the leader and chief chronicler of the Harlem Renaissance. This is the anniversary of his death.

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Anthony J. Celebrezze (1910-1998) : Italian American. Lawyer and politician. Born in Italy, Celebrezze immigrated to Cleveland with his family and rose from poverty to become Mayor of that city from 1953 to 1962, serving an unprecedented five terms. In 1962, he became Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare under John F. Kennedy, the first Italian American to serve as a cabinet officer. Celebrezze later served for 30 years as a member of the United States Court of Appeals based in Cincinnati.

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Lola Rodriguez de Tio (1843-1924): Puerto Rican. Poet and patriot. A supporter of the Puerto Rican independence movement, Rodriguez de Tio spent much of her life in exile in New York, where she worked with the Cuban exile Jose Marti to plan his revolutionary invasion of 1895. She wrote several volumes of poetry. Her most famous work is the patriotic verses of ila Borinquenai the national anthem of Puerto Rico.

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Jan E. Matzelinger (1852-1889) : African American. Inventor. Matzeliger produced machines that revolutionized the shoe industry. By using the machine he patented in 1883, cobblers could make 1,000 pairs of shoes in one day.

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Independence Day : Central American nations. This commemorates the declaration of independence from Spain of Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua in 1821.

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Respect for aged Day (Keiro No Hi) Japan. This is one of twelve public holidays in Japan and a day for paying respect to the aged and celebrating their longevity.