January 19

Emerging from the tumult of World War I and debates over free speech and civil liberties, the American Civil Liberties Union was established on January 19, 1920. A group of activists, including Roger Baldwin, Jane Addams, and Elizabeth Gurley Flynn, sought to safeguard freedoms of speech, assembly, and due process. The ACLU took on landmark cases involving labor rights, racial discrimination, and free expression. Its early work challenged government censorship and advocated for the rights of political dissenters. Over the following century, the ACLU expanded to become one of the nation’s leading civil rights organizations. Its impact has shaped American law and public policy through litigation, lobbying, and public education. The foundation laid in 1920 continues to guide its mission to protect individual liberties.

On January 19, 1969, student Jan Palach succumbed to injuries sustained in his self-immolation three days earlier in Prague’s Wenceslas Square. Palach’s desperate act protested the Soviet-led invasion of Czechoslovakia in 1968 and the suppression of political freedoms. His funeral sparked large-scale demonstrations, reigniting public resistance against the occupation. Palach became a symbol of courage and sacrifice for Czechoslovak dissidents. The act galvanized underground movements and international attention to the country’s plight. Though hopes for immediate change were dashed, his legacy endured in the struggle for human rights. Today, Jan Palach remains a potent emblem of peaceful protest against oppression.