MOMENTS IN TIME

The History Channel

• On Jan. 9, 1493, Christopher Columbus, sailing near the Dominican Republic, sees three “mermaids” and describes them as “not half as beautiful as they are painted.” They were in reality manatees. Mythical mermaids have existed in seafaring cultures since the time of the ancient Greeks.

• On Jan. 14, 1639, in Hartford, Conn., the first constitution in the American colonies, the “Fundamental Orders,” is adopted. The Fundamental Orders declared that “the foundation of authority is in the free consent of the people.”

• On Jan. 10, 1901, a drilling derrick at Spindletop Hill n...