1631 ~ Roger Williams arrives in America
Roger Williams, the founder of Rhode Island and an important American religious leader, arrives in Boston in the
Massachusetts Bay Colony from England. Williams, a Puritan, worked as a teacher before serving briefly as a
colorful pastor at Plymouth and then at Salem. Within a few years of his arrival, he alarmed the Puritan oligarchy of
Massachusetts by speaking out against the right of civil authorities to punish religious dissension and to confiscate
Indian land. In October 1635, he was banished from the Massachusetts Bay Colony by the General Court.
1777 ~ Georgia constitution abolishes primogeniture and entail
On this day in 1777, Georgia formally adopts a new state constitution and becomes the first U.S. state to abolish the
inheritance practices of primogeniture and entail.
Primogeniture ensured that the eldest son in a family inherited the largest portion of his father’s property upon the
father’s death. The practice of entail, guaranteeing that a landed estate remain in the hands of only one male heir,
was frequently practiced in conjunction with primogeniture. (Virginia abolished entail in 1776, but permitted
primogeniture to persist until 1785.)
1783 ~ Earthquake devastates southern Italy
A massive earthquake in southern Italy destroys villages and triggers a tsunami and landslides on this day in 1783.
In all, about 34,000 people lost their lives and 180 communities were destroyed.
The estimated 7.5 to 8.0-magnitude quake struck at about 1 p.m. in the Calabria province. Within a minute, over
100 villages were leveled throughout the region. In several cases, communities were literally wiped away with no
survivors or standing structures remaining. The quake also produced an uncommon number of fractures in the
Earth’s surface. In one case, a mile-long ravine--nearly 100 feet wide--was instantly created. According to one
report, more than 100 goats fell into another crack in the earth. A witness also claimed that "two mountains on the
opposite sides of a valley walked from their original position until they met in the middle of the plain, and there
joining together, they intercepted the course of a river." New lakes appeared across the region.
1865 ~ Battle of Dabney's Mill (Hatcher's Run)
Union and Confederate forces around Petersburg, Virginia, begin a three-day battle that produces 3,000 casualties
but ends with no significant advantage for either side.
1883 ~ Southern Pacific Railroad completes "Sunset Route"
The Southern Pacific Railroad completes its transcontinental "Sunset Route" from New Orleans to California,
consolidating its dominance over rail traffic to the Pacific.
1917 ~ Immigration act passed over Wilson's veto
With more than a two-thirds majority, Congress overrides President Woodrow Wilson's veto of the previous week
and passes the Immigration Act. The law required a literacy test for immigrants and barred Asiatic laborers, except
for those from countries with special treaties or agreements with the United States, such as the Philippines.
During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the United States received a majority of the world's immigrants, with
1.3 million immigrants passing through New York's Ellis Island in 1907 alone. Various restrictions had been applied
against immigrants since the 1890s, but most of those seeking entrance into the United States were accepted.
1917 ~ Mexican constitution proclaimed
After seven years of revolution and civil upheaval, Mexican President Venustiano Carranza proclaims the modern
Mexican constitution, which promises the restoration of lands to native peoples, the separation of church and state,
and dramatic economic and educational reforms. The progressive political document, approved by an elected
constitutional convention, combined revolutionary demands for land reform with advanced social theory. It would be
decades, however, before most of the sweeping reforms promised by the constitution became reality. Carranza was
deposed and killed in 1920, and lasting stability eluded Mexico until after World War II, when industrialism spurred by
the war grew into a major part of the economy and Miguel Aleman became the first in an unbroken series of civilian
presidents.
1918 ~ U.S. steamship Tuscania is torpedoed and sinks
On February 5, 1918, the Anchor line steamship Tuscania, traveling as part of a British convoy and transporting
over 2,000 American soldiers bound for Europe, is torpedoed and sinks off the coast of Ireland by the German
submarine U-77.
1937 ~ Roosevelt announces "court-packing" plan
On February 5, 1937, President Franklin Roosevelt announces a controversial plan to expand the Supreme Court to
as many as 15 judges, allegedly to make it more efficient. Critics immediately charged that Roosevelt was trying to
"pack" the court and thus neutralize Supreme Court justices hostile to his New Deal.
1941 ~ Hitler to Mussolini: Fight harder!
On this day in 1941, Adolf Hitler scolds his Axis partner, Benito Mussolini, for his troops' retreat in the face of British
advances in Libya, demanding that the Duce command his forces to resist.
1960 ~ South Vietnam requests more support
The South Vietnamese government requests that Washington double U.S. Military Assistance and Advisory Group
(MAAG-Vietnam) strength from 342 to 685. The advisory group was formed on November 1, 1955 to provide military
assistance to South Vietnam. It had replaced U.S. Military Assistance Advisory Group Indochina (MAAG-Indochina),
which had been providing military assistance to "the forces of France and the Associated States in Indochina"
(Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam) in accordance with President Harry S. Truman's order of June 27, 1950.
1988 ~ Noriega indicted on U.S. drug charges
On February 5, 1988, two federal grand juries in Florida announce indictments of Panama military strongman
General Manuel Antonio Noriega and 16 associates on drug smuggling and money laundering charges. Noriega, the
de facto dictator of Panama since 1983, was charged with smuggling marijuana into the United States, laundering
millions of U.S. dollars, and assisting Colombia's Medellin drug cartel in trafficking cocaine to America. The
Panamanian leader denied the charges and threatened expulsion of the 10,000 U.S. service personnel and their
families stationed around the Panama Canal.
1989 ~ The last Soviet troops leave Kabul
In an important move signaling the close of the nearly decade-long Soviet military intervention in Afghanistan, the
last Russian troops withdraw from the capital city of Kabul. Less than two weeks later, all Soviet troops departed
Afghanistan entirely, ending what many observers referred to as Russia's "Vietnam."
1994 ~ Medger Evers' killer is convicted
Byron de la Beckwith is convicted of the assassination of civil rights leader Medger Evers 31 years earlier, ending
the lengthiest murder case in American history. Evers was gunned down in the driveway of his Jackson, Mississippi,
home while his wife, Myrlie, and the couple's small children were inside waiting for their father.
Roger Williams, the founder of Rhode Island and an important American religious leader, arrives in Boston in the
Massachusetts Bay Colony from England. Williams, a Puritan, worked as a teacher before serving briefly as a
colorful pastor at Plymouth and then at Salem. Within a few years of his arrival, he alarmed the Puritan oligarchy of
Massachusetts by speaking out against the right of civil authorities to punish religious dissension and to confiscate
Indian land. In October 1635, he was banished from the Massachusetts Bay Colony by the General Court.
1777 ~ Georgia constitution abolishes primogeniture and entail
On this day in 1777, Georgia formally adopts a new state constitution and becomes the first U.S. state to abolish the
inheritance practices of primogeniture and entail.
Primogeniture ensured that the eldest son in a family inherited the largest portion of his father’s property upon the
father’s death. The practice of entail, guaranteeing that a landed estate remain in the hands of only one male heir,
was frequently practiced in conjunction with primogeniture. (Virginia abolished entail in 1776, but permitted
primogeniture to persist until 1785.)
1783 ~ Earthquake devastates southern Italy
A massive earthquake in southern Italy destroys villages and triggers a tsunami and landslides on this day in 1783.
In all, about 34,000 people lost their lives and 180 communities were destroyed.
The estimated 7.5 to 8.0-magnitude quake struck at about 1 p.m. in the Calabria province. Within a minute, over
100 villages were leveled throughout the region. In several cases, communities were literally wiped away with no
survivors or standing structures remaining. The quake also produced an uncommon number of fractures in the
Earth’s surface. In one case, a mile-long ravine--nearly 100 feet wide--was instantly created. According to one
report, more than 100 goats fell into another crack in the earth. A witness also claimed that "two mountains on the
opposite sides of a valley walked from their original position until they met in the middle of the plain, and there
joining together, they intercepted the course of a river." New lakes appeared across the region.
1865 ~ Battle of Dabney's Mill (Hatcher's Run)
Union and Confederate forces around Petersburg, Virginia, begin a three-day battle that produces 3,000 casualties
but ends with no significant advantage for either side.
1883 ~ Southern Pacific Railroad completes "Sunset Route"
The Southern Pacific Railroad completes its transcontinental "Sunset Route" from New Orleans to California,
consolidating its dominance over rail traffic to the Pacific.
1917 ~ Immigration act passed over Wilson's veto
With more than a two-thirds majority, Congress overrides President Woodrow Wilson's veto of the previous week
and passes the Immigration Act. The law required a literacy test for immigrants and barred Asiatic laborers, except
for those from countries with special treaties or agreements with the United States, such as the Philippines.
During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the United States received a majority of the world's immigrants, with
1.3 million immigrants passing through New York's Ellis Island in 1907 alone. Various restrictions had been applied
against immigrants since the 1890s, but most of those seeking entrance into the United States were accepted.
1917 ~ Mexican constitution proclaimed
After seven years of revolution and civil upheaval, Mexican President Venustiano Carranza proclaims the modern
Mexican constitution, which promises the restoration of lands to native peoples, the separation of church and state,
and dramatic economic and educational reforms. The progressive political document, approved by an elected
constitutional convention, combined revolutionary demands for land reform with advanced social theory. It would be
decades, however, before most of the sweeping reforms promised by the constitution became reality. Carranza was
deposed and killed in 1920, and lasting stability eluded Mexico until after World War II, when industrialism spurred by
the war grew into a major part of the economy and Miguel Aleman became the first in an unbroken series of civilian
presidents.
1918 ~ U.S. steamship Tuscania is torpedoed and sinks
On February 5, 1918, the Anchor line steamship Tuscania, traveling as part of a British convoy and transporting
over 2,000 American soldiers bound for Europe, is torpedoed and sinks off the coast of Ireland by the German
submarine U-77.
1937 ~ Roosevelt announces "court-packing" plan
On February 5, 1937, President Franklin Roosevelt announces a controversial plan to expand the Supreme Court to
as many as 15 judges, allegedly to make it more efficient. Critics immediately charged that Roosevelt was trying to
"pack" the court and thus neutralize Supreme Court justices hostile to his New Deal.
1941 ~ Hitler to Mussolini: Fight harder!
On this day in 1941, Adolf Hitler scolds his Axis partner, Benito Mussolini, for his troops' retreat in the face of British
advances in Libya, demanding that the Duce command his forces to resist.
1960 ~ South Vietnam requests more support
The South Vietnamese government requests that Washington double U.S. Military Assistance and Advisory Group
(MAAG-Vietnam) strength from 342 to 685. The advisory group was formed on November 1, 1955 to provide military
assistance to South Vietnam. It had replaced U.S. Military Assistance Advisory Group Indochina (MAAG-Indochina),
which had been providing military assistance to "the forces of France and the Associated States in Indochina"
(Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam) in accordance with President Harry S. Truman's order of June 27, 1950.
1988 ~ Noriega indicted on U.S. drug charges
On February 5, 1988, two federal grand juries in Florida announce indictments of Panama military strongman
General Manuel Antonio Noriega and 16 associates on drug smuggling and money laundering charges. Noriega, the
de facto dictator of Panama since 1983, was charged with smuggling marijuana into the United States, laundering
millions of U.S. dollars, and assisting Colombia's Medellin drug cartel in trafficking cocaine to America. The
Panamanian leader denied the charges and threatened expulsion of the 10,000 U.S. service personnel and their
families stationed around the Panama Canal.
1989 ~ The last Soviet troops leave Kabul
In an important move signaling the close of the nearly decade-long Soviet military intervention in Afghanistan, the
last Russian troops withdraw from the capital city of Kabul. Less than two weeks later, all Soviet troops departed
Afghanistan entirely, ending what many observers referred to as Russia's "Vietnam."
1994 ~ Medger Evers' killer is convicted
Byron de la Beckwith is convicted of the assassination of civil rights leader Medger Evers 31 years earlier, ending
the lengthiest murder case in American history. Evers was gunned down in the driveway of his Jackson, Mississippi,
home while his wife, Myrlie, and the couple's small children were inside waiting for their father.
| Wishy's Designs www.wishysdesigns.com E-Mail: wishysdesign@aol.com Linda Sutphin Owner / Designer |
| Have a most blessed and awesome day! |
Today is...
| February 5 |
| (answer below) |
| Unscramble The Word |
| Achievement seems to be connected with action. Successful men and women keep moving. They make mistakes... but they don't quit. ~Conrad Hilton |
| The story you are about to read is true. The name(s) may have been changed to protect the stupid... The Bozo Criminal for today violated Bozo Rule #454: Before going out to do a crime, be sure you're well rested. From Reno, Nevada comes the story of Charles Price who broke into a house and ransacked it looking for valuables. The bozo got tired during his ransacking and took his shoes off and lied down on the bed to rest for just a few minutes. He was still resting soundly when police found him. |
| Our desire to achieve must be stronger... than our reluctance to do all the difficult tasks which achievement requires. That's why it is so important to know... clearly and specifically... what you want to accomplish and why. What if you had to make a house payment of $1000 per month... but the house sat vacant because you did not have any idea where it was? How willingly would you make the payment? How long would you continue in such a situation? Probably not very long. When we work hard each day, just trying to get by... without a clearly defined objective... we're doing pretty much the same thing. We are enduring the hardships... without any clear idea of why. No wonder so many people suffer from burnout. The difficulties of everyday life can seem overwhelming when viewed on their own terms. However... when our dream is big enough... when our goal is clear and meaningful enough... the hardships seem minor by comparison. Follow a dream that is compelling and clearly defined. It will overpower any obstacle. |
| f t k i s l i |
| Ski lift |
| "surcease" PRONUNCIATION: ( suhr-SEES ) MEANING: noun: Stoppage, especially a temporary one. verb tr., intr.: To bring or come to an end. ETYMOLOGY: From Middle English sursesen/surcesen, via French from Latin supersedere (to refrain from), from super- + sedere (to sit). Ultimately from the Indo-European root sed- (to sit) that is also the source of sit, chair, saddle, assess, assiduous, sediment, soot, cathedral, and tetrahedron. The word cease is unrelated, though its spelling has influenced the word. USAGE: "It was a labour without rest or surcease." Canon Kik Woods; The Daily Telegraph (London, UK); Jan 16, 2008. |
