January 18

The Blue and Green chariot factions united against Justinian, crowned a rival emperor and burned half the centre. Procopius says Theodora talked her husband out of fleeing, and Belisarius’s troops trapped the crowd in the Hippodrome and killed some 30,000. Royalty is a good burial-shroud. —…

The largest stone the Maya ever quarried: 10.6 metres of sandstone, about 3 of them below ground, carved on both faces with K’ahk’ Tiliw Chan Yopaat, the victor of 738. Long Count 9.17.0.0.0 13 Ajaw 18 Kumk’u

Lima foundedLima

Pizarro wanted a capital on the coast, in reach of ships from Panama, and founded the City of the Kings near the Rímac river. Cusco, high in the Andes, became a provincial town.

About a mile and a half from the Pole by Bowers’s sights. Inside were the five Norwegian names, dated 16 December, a sextant, mitts and the letter for King Haakon, which Scott took with him. Bowers photographed the party there.

The long haul back to Cape Evans. Cold, hunger and injury wore the party down; fuel left in the depots had partly leaked away, and the Barrier that March was far colder than anyone expected. None of the five came home.

For peace in Delhi, where Muslims were being driven from their homes. The government released 550 million rupees it had held back from Pakistan, and on the sixth day community leaders signed a pledge to keep the peace. Hindu nationalists took the fast as appeasement of Pakistan.