On this day in 1789, the United States Congress passed twelve constitutional amendments – the ten known as the Bill of Rights, the Congressional Apportionment Amendment (which was never ratified) and the Congressional Compensation Amendment which languished for many years until it was finally ratified in 1982.
The Congressional Apportionment Amendment would establish the number of seats in the House of Representatives. As it was never ratified by the required number of states, the size of the House of Representatives is now set by statute.
The Congressional Compensation Amendment states that changes to the pay of members of Congress take effect only upon the next election of the House of Representatives. The proposed congressional pay amendment was largely forgotten until 1982, when Gregory Watson, a 19-year-old student at the University of Texas at Austin, wrote a paper for a government class in which he claimed that the amendment could still be ratified. He later launched a nationwide campaign to complete its ratification. The amendment eventually became part of the United States Constitution, effective May 5, 1992.
James Madison, primary author and chief advocate for the Bill of Rights in the First Congress
On this day in 1890, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints officially renounced polygamy.
Polygamy (called plural marriage by Latter-day Saints in the 19th century or the Principle by modern fundamentalist practitioners of polygamy) was practiced by leaders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for more than half of the 19th century, and practiced publicly from 1852 to 1890 by between 20 and 30 percent of Latter-day Saint families. Joseph Smith, founder of the Latter-day Saint movement, first introduced polygamy privately in the 1830s. Later, in 1852, Orson Pratt, a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, publicly announced and defended the practice at the request of then-church president Brigham Young.
In 1890, when it became clear that Utah would not be admitted to the Union while polygamy was still practiced, church president Wilford Woodruff issued the 1890 Manifesto, officially banning the formation of new polygamous unions within the LDS Church.
Many of those who rejected the LDS Church’s relinquishment of polygamy formed small, close-knit communities in areas of the Rocky Mountains. These groups continue to practice “the Principle”. In the 1940s, LDS Church apostle Mark E. Petersen coined the term “Mormon fundamentalist” to describe such people. Fundamentalists either practice as individuals, as families, or as part of organized denominations. Today, the LDS Church objects to the use of the term “Mormon fundamentalists” and suggests using the term “polygamist sects” to avoid confusion about whether the main body of Mormon believers teach or practice polygamy. The Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (also referred to as the FLDS Church) continues to practice polygamy.
Teens from polygamous families along with over 200 supporters demonstrate at a pro-polygamy rally in Salt Lake City in 2006
BADA BINGLE!
HERE WAS A TIME WHEN SEEING SOMEONE OUTSIDE IN THEIR PAJAMAS MEANT THEIR HOUSE WAS ON FIRE. NOW IT JUST MEANS YOU’RE AT WALMART.
My wife told me the other day I’m going to be a father for the first time. The problem is we already have two kids.
People used to laugh at me when I would say “l want to be a comedian”, well nobody’s laughing now.
Photons have mass? I didn’t even know they were Catholic.
A conclusion is the part where you got tired of thinking.
Moses was leading his people through the desert for 40 years. It seems, even in Biblical times men avoided asking for directions.
I refused to believe my road worker father was stealing from his job, but when I got home, all the signs were there.
There is a new trend in our office, everyone is naming their food. Today I ate a sandwich named Kevin.
Trump died and got buried at Mar-a-lago. A man in New York went to LaGuardia airport and told the agent “I want to piss on Donald Trump’s grave.” The agent said “Yes sir, here’s a ticket to Los Angeles.” The man said “Los Angeles? He’s buried in Florida.” The agent said, “Correct. Los Angeles is the back of the line.”
Here is why English is so much fun: “The faith he had had had had no effect on the outcome of his life.”
If drugs aren’t allowed in sports, why isn’t makeup banned in beauty contests?
On this day in 1957, President Dwight D. Eisenhower sent the 101st Airborne Division to Little Rock, Arkansas to support the integration of Little Rock High School.
In 1954, the US Supreme Court had ruled that laws mandating racially-segregated schools were unconstitutional and called for all schools to be de-segregated. After the decision, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) attempted to register black students in previously all-white schools in cities throughout the South. In Little Rock, Arkansas, the school board agreed to comply with the high court’s ruling. Virgil Blossom, the Superintendent of Schools, submitted a plan of gradual integration to the school board on May 24, 1955, which the board unanimously approved. The plan would be implemented during the fall of the 1957 school year, which would begin in September 1957.
When integration began on September 4, 1957, the Arkansas National Guard was called in by Governor Orval Faubus to “preserve the peace”. Originally at orders of the governor, they were meant to prevent the black students from entering due to claims that there was “imminent danger of tumult, riot and breach of peace” at the integration. President Eisenhower issued an order federalizing the Arkansas national guard and thus taking it out of the Governor’s control and sent in troops from the 101st Airborne Division to protect the nine African-American students newly enrolled in Little Rock High School.
Arkansas Sushi…
Today is the birthday, in 1949. of US singer, songwriter and guitarist Bruce Springsteen. Nicknamed ‘The Boss’, he won an Academy Award in 1994 for his song ‘Streets of Philadelphia’, which appeared on the soundtrack to the film Philadelphia. His most successful studio albums, Born in the U.S.A. and Born To Run showcase a talent for finding grandeur in the struggles of daily American life; he has sold more than 71 million albums in the United States and more than 140 million worldwide. He has earned numerous awards for his work, including 20 Grammy Awards. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L-Ds-FXGGQg
On this day in 1692, Martha Corey, Mary Eastey, Alice Parker, Mary Parker, Ann Pudeator, Wilmot Redd, Margaret Scott, and Samuel Wardwell were hanged, the last of those to be executed in the Salem witch trials. A majority of people accused and convicted of witchcraft were women (about 78%). Overall, the Puritan belief and prevailing New England culture was that women were inherently sinful and more susceptible to damnation than men were. Women who did not conform to the norms of Puritan society were more likely to be the target of an accusation, especially those who were unmarried or did not have children.
In the years after the trials, several of the accusers – mostly teenage girls – admitted that they had fabricated their charges. In 1702, the General Court of Massachusetts declared the trials “unlawful”, and in 1711 the colonial legislature annulled the convictions, passing a bill “mentioning 22 individuals by name” and reversing their attainders.
Two alleged witches being accused in the Salem witch trials, 1892 engraving
Today is the birthday, in 1958. of American rock guitarist, singer, songwriter, and producer Joan Jett. She was a founding member of The Runaways and with Joan Jett & the Blackhearts, scored the 1982 US No.1 & UK No.4 single I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll. She is also known as the Godmother of Punk. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bpNw7jYkbVc
On this day in 1937, J.R.R. Tolkien’s novel, The Hobbit, was first published. It received wide critical acclaim, being nominated for the Carnegie Medal and awarded a prize from the New York Herald Tribune for best juvenile fiction. It is recognized as a classic in children’s literature and is one of the best-selling books of all time, with over 100 million copies sold.
The Hobbit is set in Middle-earth and follows home-loving Bilbo Baggins, the titular hobbit who joins the wizard Gandalf and the thirteen dwarves of Thorin’s Company on a quest to reclaim the dwarves’ home and treasure from the dragon Smaug. Bilbo’s journey takes him from his peaceful rural surroundings into more sinister territory.
The book has been translated into over sixty languages, with more than one published version for some languages.
Dustcover of the first edition of The Hobbit, taken from a design by the author
Need a monkey wrench???
DOGS
Today is the birthday, in 1947, of American musician Don Felder, who was the lead guitarist of the rock band the Eagles, from 1974 to 2001. With five No.1 singles, six No.1 albums, six Grammy Awards and five American Music Awards, the Eagles were one of the most successful musical acts of the 1970s. Their Greatest Hits is the best-selling album in the United States, having sold 38 million copies. At the age of 13, Felder started his first band, the Continentals, which also included Stephen Stills. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AaBw37-nWaY
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