At the Premier Mine in Pretoria, South Africa, a 3,106-carat diamond
(above) was discovered during a routine inspection by the mine’s superintendent. Weighing 1.33 pounds, the “Cullinan” as it was christened, was the largest diamond ever found. It was  presented
to Sir Thomas Cullinan, who owned the mine. Cullinan then sold
the diamond to the Transvaal provincial government, and they
presented the stone to Britain’s King Edward VII as a birthday
gift.

The Cullinan Diamond being held by mine superintendent
Frederick Wells.

James (Jimmie) Frederick Rodgers
(September 18, 1933 – January 18, 2021)

LM DESERT, Calif. (AP) — Jimmie Rodgers, singer of the 1957
hits “Honeycomb” and “Kisses Sweeter Than Wine” whose
career in music and movies was disrupted by a severe head
injury a decade later, has died. His publicist Alan Eichler said
Rogers, who was born in Camas, Washington, died from kidney
disease on January 18 in Palm Desert, California. He had also
tested positive for COVID-19.

Canned beer made its debut on January 24, 1935. In partnership
with the American Can Company, the Gottfried Krueger Brewing Company delivered 2,000 cans of Krueger’s Finest Beer and
Krueger’s Cream Ale to faithful Krueger drinkers in Richmond,
Virginia. Ninety-one percent of the drinkers approved of the
canned beer, driving Krueger to give the green light to further production.

The purchase of cans, unlike bottles, did not require the consumer
to pay a deposit. Cans were also easier to stack, more durable
and took less time to chill. As a result, their popularity continued
to grow throughout the 1930s, and then exploded during World
War II, when U.S. brewers shipped millions of cans of beer to
soldiers overseas.

Larry King (Lawrence Harvey Zeiger)
(November 19, 1933 – January 23, 2021)

On January 2, 2021, it was revealed that King had been hospitalized
10 days earlier in a Los Angeles hospital after testing positive for
COVID-19. He died at the age of 87 at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center,
Los Angeles.

SANDY KOZEL