On January 24, 1889, Viktor EFTIMIU, a Romanian writer of Albanian origin, was born in Boboshtica in Korça. He is valued as an outstanding personality of Romanian and world culture. Eftimiu immigrated with his family at the age of 9 to Bucharest, Romania. Among his works, the novels “The Man Who Saw Death with His Eyes”, “Black Rooster”, “Prometheus”, and “Dr. Faust” stand out. Eftimiu passed away on November 27, 1972.

On January 24, 1900, the patriotic writer Kolë Mirdita was born in Shkodër. He was educated in Graz, Austria. He wrote in prose when he was young, bearing the nickname Helenau. Helenau is mentioned for the short stories, poems and a tragedy on the death of Skanderbeg. The storyteller Kolë Mirdita passed away at a young age from tuberculosis on October 3, 1936. His poetry and nine short stories were collected posthumously in the volume ‘Roses that do not bloom for us’, published in 1959.

On January 24, 1909, the activist of the National Renaissance, Halit Berzheshta, passed away. He graduated as a pharmacist in Istanbul. He practiced his profession in his homeland. In 1890 he moved to Manastir (Bitola) where he carried out an active patriotic activity. He took part in the establishment of the Committee “For the Freedom of Albania” in Manastir in 1905. He was arrested in the fall of 1907 and the military court sentenced him to death, but the numerous protests made the sentence turn into life exile in Beirut. He returned to Albania in 1908. Then he settled in Thessaloniki, where he passed away after a pancreatic disease in 1909.

On January 24, 1919, Ismail Qemali passed away in Italy under suspicious circumstances. He was born on October 16, 1844 in Vlora. He continued his studies at “Zosimea” high school in Janina (Ioannina). Ismail Qemali had the beginnings of his political career in Ottoman offices. He spent seven years in exile, because of his liberal ideas. On November 28, 1912, he presided over the meeting of the National Assembly of Vlora, which proclaimed the independence of Albania. During 1912-1914 he was the head of the first Albanian government.

On January 24, 1926, Sali Murati (Vranishti), patriot, Hero of the People, passed away at the age of 46. He was born in Vlora on March 20, 1880. Because of his patriotic activity, he was persecuted, arrested and sentenced to death, isolated in the prison of the castle of Janina/Ioannina, from where he escaped. Ismail Qemali’s government promoted him to captain and appointed him commander of the gendarmerie. He was involved in the democratic movement of the 1920s, and the June Revolution of 1924.

On January 24, 1929, the People’s Artist, the composer Nikolla Zoraqi, was born in Tirana. He started composing in the 1950s. He studied at the Çajkovski Conservatory in Moscow in 1958. He worked at the Ministry of Education and Culture and then at Radio Tirana. After 1971, he worked as a freelance music composer. He is composer of six violin concertos, author of music of four ballets and composer of three operas, and hundreds of songs, many of which won festivals on RTSH. He has been awarded with two Republic awards. He passed away in Tirana on November 9, 1989.

On January 24, 1935, the tenor Gaqo Çako was born in the city of Korça. He studied at the Moscow Conservatory. After completing his higher studies, he returned to Tirana to work as a soloist at Tirana Opera and Ballet National Theater. Çako has also a rich experience on international stages with the operas “The Pearl Fishermen”, “La Traviata”, “La Boheme”, “Rigoleto”, and “Norma”. He passed away on August 1, 2018.

On January 24, 1947, Dom Luigj Prendushi was shot. He was born in Shkodër on January 3, 1896. He studied in Piedmont, where he was ordained a priest. He returned to his homeland to begin priestly service. He was arrested on December 5, 1946, in the wave of martyrdom of the Catholic Church. He was sentenced to death and shot. His remains were found only after 45 years, and were brought to his hometown in May 1992.

Arbën Xhaferi was born in Tetova (North Macedonia) on January 24, 1948. Until 1990, he worked at Radio Television of Prishtina as an editor responsible for the cultural program, when he was expelled from the Television by the Milosevic regime. After this period, he works as an analyst at the weekly “Koha” /The Time/. The year 1993 brings him back to his homeland, no longer as an analyst, but as a politician where, together with Menduh Thaçi, he founded the Albanian Democratic Party, which he led for 12 years until 2007. He was a MP in the Macedonian Parliament during this period. Arbën Xhaferi passed away on August 15, 2012.

The American Comedian, John Belushi was born on January 24, 1949 in Chicago to Albanian parents. He was one of the greatest comic talents of the last half of the 20th century. John Belushi’s first movie is ‘Animal House’, while his biggest success is the comedy movie ‘The Blues Brothers’ directed by John Landis, where he, together with Dan Aykroyd, became cult figures. John Belushi past away at the age of 33 as a result of an overdose on March 5, 1982.

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