January 10 in History

Explanation: The Rubicon was a river marking the border between Roman Italy and the province of Cisalpine Gaul. Roman law forbade any general from crossing it with his armed troops. By crossing it, Caesar deliberately broke this law and effectively declared war on Rome. The expression 'crossing the Rubicon' has since become synonymous with making an irreversible decision.

Explanation: Tintin in the Land of the Soviets, Tintin's first adventure, was published in Le Petit Vingtième, the youth supplement of the Belgian daily Le Vingtième Siècle. Its creator, Hergé, was then a young cartoonist of 21. The album, commissioned by Abbé Wallez to denounce the Soviet regime, remains to this day one of the most recognizable albums in the series, despite its still rudimentary graphic style.

Explanation: The London Underground, nicknamed 'the Tube', is the oldest underground railway network in the world. The first line, the Metropolitan Railway, connected Paddington to Farringdon. The first trains were still steam-powered, which made the tunnels particularly smoky. The network today has 11 lines and more than 270 stations.

Explanation: The League of Nations, created following the entry into force of the Treaty of Versailles, was the first international body with a universal vocation for maintaining peace. It was replaced by the UN in 1945, after failing to prevent World War II. Ironically, the United States, whose president Wilson had been its initiator, never became a member, as Congress refused to ratify the treaty.

Explanation: Rod Stewart is one of the best-selling British artists of all time, with more than 250 million albums sold worldwide. Recognizable by his raspy voice and spiky haircut, he found success from the 1970s onwards with hits like 'Maggie May' and 'Do Ya Think I'm Sexy'. He was knighted as a Knight of the Order of the British Empire in 2016.

Explanation: The Évin law, championed by Health Minister Claude Évin, was a major milestone in public health in France. It bans tobacco and alcohol advertising in most media and regulates consumption in public places. Its enforcement has been strengthened since, notably with the complete ban on smoking in enclosed public places in 2007. France followed the example of pioneering Nordic countries.

Explanation: The Silent Sentinels, organized by Alice Paul and the National Woman's Party, held picket lines in front of the White House for 18 months. They carried banners directly addressing President Wilson. Some were arrested and imprisoned. Their action contributed to the adoption of the 19th Amendment in 1920, which granted American women the right to vote.

Explanation: George Foreman had two distinct careers: a first in which he became Olympic champion in 1968 and professional world champion, famous for his defeat against Muhammad Ali during the 'Rumble in the Jungle' in 1974, then a second career started at age 38 that saw him reclaim the world heavyweight title in 1994 at age 45, becoming the oldest world champion in boxing history.

Explanation: The Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), signed in 1968, aims to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons. North Korea's withdrawal, having already threatened to do so in 1993, is unique in the history of the treaty. This decision marked an escalation in tensions surrounding North Korea's nuclear program, which has since led to several nuclear tests and numerous diplomatic crises.

Explanation: Common Sense, written by Thomas Paine, an English immigrant who had arrived in America two years earlier, became the best-selling work proportionally to the population in American history. It sold around 500,000 copies in the colonies, which had a population of 2.5 million at the time. Paine argued in simple terms that monarchy was an illegitimate and absurd form of government, and that independence was the only reasonable choice.