January 2

January 3, 2024 - Reading time: 17 minutes

Saint’s Day for Basilio, Gregorio, Abelardo, Macario and Narciso.

1492 - Boabdil, the Nasrid Sultan of Granada, hands over the keys of the Alhambra Palace to the Catholic Kings, ending centuries of Moorish rule in Spain.

Boabdil, the Nasrid Sultan of Granada - https://en.wikipedia.org/

1585 - Spain & Catholic France sign Saint League of Joinville

1762 - England declares war on Spain, fearful of the Family Compact between the French and Spanish Bourbons.
1829 - The Mexican government decreed the expulsion of the Spanish residents in the country.
1860 - The first issue of the newspaper El Pensamiento Español (the Spanish thinker) goes on sale.
1866 - The Spanish government ordered the closure of the chairs of the Ateneo.
1871 - King Amadeus de Saboya 1 solemnly swears on the Constitution aged 25
1874 - The Spanish President Emilio Castelar lost the confidence of Parliament and resigns.
1908 - The constitutional guarantees in the provinces of Barcelona and Gerona are suspended due to a wave of terrorism.
1914 - King Alfonso XIII dissolved el Congreso.
1926 - Spoken words are broadcast by radio for the first time, called 'The Word'

1966 - Ist Jewish child born in Spain since 1492 expulsion
1979 - Two people die at the hands of the ETA terrorist organisation: the army commandant José María Herrera Hernández in San Sebastián, and police sergeant Francisco Berlanga Robles in Pamplona.
2004 - The towns of Oviedo and Torrevieja (Alicante) twin.
2008 - With delivery to King Mohammed VI in a letter to Rodríguez Zapatero speaks of a misunderstanding, it is ended the diplomatic dispute between Spain and Morocco.
2011 - Comes into force the new smoking ban in Spain, which prohibits smoking in any enclosed public space.

2018 - ‘Unconditional prison for the confessed assassin of Diana Quer’ – the forensic scientists will search the fabrics and bones of the youngster to determine the cause of death, and possible traces of sexual abuse.

Births
1566 - Luisa Carvajal y Mendoza, mystic poet (d. 1614)

1602 - Rodrigo Ponce de León 4th Duke of Arcos was a Grandee of Spain and a Knight of the Order of the Golden Fleece. He served as Viceroy of Valencia and of Naples. As Viceroy of Naples, the Duke of Arcos suppressed a revolt inhabitants of the city of Naples led by Masaniello but was soon faced with another revolt against Spanish rule, which resulted in the proclamation of the short-lived Neapolitan Republic. (d. 01-Jan-1658)

Portrait of José de Gálvez, 1st Marquess of Sonora - https://en.wikipedia.org/

1720 - José de Gálvez Ist Marquess of Sonora, lawyer and inspector general in New Spain (1764-1772) later appointed to the Council of Indies (1775-1787) He was one of the prime figures behind the Bourbon Reforms He belonged to an important political family that included his brother Mataís de Gálvez and nephew Bernardo de Galvez in Macharaviaya (Málaga) (d. 1787)
1816 - Isidoro Lira Araujo, journalist and founder of the newspaper Diario de la Marina.
1867 - Isidoro Acevedo, communist (d. 1952).

1875 - Joaquín "Quinito" Valverde Sanjuán composer of zarzuelas. He was the son of Joaquín Valverde Durán, also a zarzuela composer, and was usually called Quinito Valverde to distinguish him from his father. In his day he was referred to as the "Tango King", the "Franz Lehár of Spanish music" and the "Spanish Offenbach", and his dance tunes were known internationally. Now he is perhaps best known for a short song called "Clavelitos" (Little Carnations), which has been recorded by many sopranos. (d.04-Nov-1918 )

1889 - Jaime Hilario Barbal, Christian Brother, Martyr and saint in Sort (d. 1937)
1916 - Josefina Manresa Marhuenda, wife of the renowned Spanish poet Miguel Hernández.

1933 - Julieta Serrano - actress in Barcelona
1934 - Víctor García de la Concha, philologist and writer in Villaviciosa

1940 - Adam Karol Czartoryski, Polish-Spanish aristocrat in Sevilla

1941 - Maria Dolores Alibés writer (d. 2009)
1942 - Manuel Gutiérrez Aragón, screenwriter and film director in Torrelavega
1958 - Colomán Trabado, athlete middle distance runner
1962 - Carmelo Gómez, actor.

1963 - Eloy Velasco, Judge in Bilbao

1963 - José Cobos Benítez, wheelchair basketball player
1964 - Luis d'Antin, motorcycle racer in Madrid

1964 - Ignacio Rambla is a Spanish equestrian and Olympic medalist.He was born in Jerez de la Frontera. He won a silver medal in dressage at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens.

1968 - Alfonso de Orléans-Borbón, Duke of Galliera race car owner in Santa Cruz de Tenerife

1975 - Gabriel Hernández water polo athlete in Barcelona
1976 - Paz Vega, actress and singer

1976 - Laura Alonso operatic soprano in Vilagarcia de Arousa

1977 - David Martín, Olympic water polo player in Barcelona
1981 - María Isabel Moreno, cyclist.

1981 - Juan Ferrando, football coach in Barcelona Province

1981 - Juan Pinilla Martin is a flamenco singer from Granada. In August, 2007 he won the Festival del Cante de las Minas, with the prize Lámpara Minera 2007, considered the most important flamenco prize. He studied Translation and Interpretation. In 2014, he was nominated for the prestigious Latin Grammys Awards (Las Vegas, USA) In 2016 he was awarded the title of favorite son of the province of Granada He is an artist committed with the social reasons. The night he won the Lámpara Minera he dedicated the prize to the workers victims of the workplaces accidents.

1983 - Lidia San José, actress in Madrid

1983 - David Prieto, footballer in Sevilla

1983 - Manuel Pena Garces, basketball coach

1984 - Margarita Victoria García, cyclist in Palma

1985 - Yusef Abdeselam Kaddur, mixed martial artist in Melilla

1987 - Jefrey Casanova, football manager in Barcelona

1992 - Ignacio Maganto, football player in Madrid

1994 - Gonzalo Melero footballer in Madrid

1997 - Carlos Soler association football player in Valencia

1998 - Manu García football player in Oviedo

Deaths

Luisa Carvajal y Mendoza - https://dbe.rah.es/

1614 - Luisa Carvajal y Mendoza, is best known for her mystical religious poetry as well as her fight to spread Catholicism throughout England, by preaching against Anglicanism. She was imprisoned on two occasions, once in 1608 and again in 1613 for her Catholic proselytising activities in England (b. 1566)
1792 - Pedro López de Lerena, politician (b. 1734)
1819 - María Luisa de Parma, Spanish Queen of Carlos IV (b. 1751)
1861 - Fernando de Borbón y Braganza, noble (b. 1824)
1890 - Julián Gayarre, tenor (b. 1844)
1914 - Fidel García Berlanga, lawyer and politician (b. 1859)
1916 - Félix Sardá y Salvany, religious writer (b. 1841)
1964 - Pius Font y Quer, botanical, pharmaceutical and chemist (b. 1888)
1965 - Jenaro de Urrutia Olaran, painter (b. 1893)
1984 - Sebastián Juan Arbó, writer (b. 1902)
1987 - Ramon Castroviejo, ophthalmologist (b. 1904)
1995 - Manuel Rivera Hernández, painter (b. 1927)
1996 - Carlos Blasco de Imaz, Basque politician (b. 1924).
1997 - Joan Corominas, philologist (b. 1905)
2000 - María de las Mercedes de Borbón y Orleáns, Condesa of Barcelona, and mother of King Juan Carlos I, died in Lanzarote. She had had her 90th birthday 10 days earlier.
2000 - Ana María Martínez Sagi, journalist and athlete (b. 1907).
2003 - José María Mendiola Insausti, writer (b. 1929)
2011 - Manuel Riu Riu, professor, historian and Spanish archaeologist (b. 1929)

2022 - Juan Manuel Albendea Pabón, economist, bullfighting critic and politician deputy (1996-2015) (b.1936)