Tuesday, August 27, 2013

This Week 8/25-31: Philosophers Rule!

Philosopher Confucius born 552 B.C. 

Saint Saint Augustine born A.D. 354; "Christian thinker"

Philosopher and inspiration to America's Founding Fathers John Locke born 1632

Chemist Antoine Laurent Lavoisier born 1743; father of "modern" chemistry

Poet Johann Wolfgang von Goethe born 1749; "None are more hopelessly enslaved than those who falsely believe they are free."

Philosopher Georg Wilhelm Hagel born 1770; Continental philosopher.

American writer and physician Oliver Wendell Holmes born 1809; a "Fireside Poet"

Physicist and physiologist Hermann von Helmholtz born 1821; a very busy German

Author Count Lyof Nikolaievitch Tolstoi (Tolstoy) born 1828; "All happy families resemble one another; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way."
~~

And in other news of this week from bygone years, in 1920 the Nineteenth Amendment was proclaimed in effect.
Article XIX

Section 1. The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex.
Here a couple of tidbits regarding suffrage. 

Women in Wyoming were enfranchised in 1869. Also before the amendment, in Colorado (1893), Utah and Idaho (1896), and Washington (1910).  

The first women to serve in Congress was Miss Jeannette Rankin  from Montana. She was elected to the House in 1916. 

It took nearly forty years to pass this amendment. It was first proposed by a Senator from California, at Susan B. Anthony's request, in 1878.

References:

Robert I. Fitzhenry, ed. The Harper Book of Quotations 3rd Edition. Harper Perennial. 1993. 


Mary Emogene Hazeltine. Anniversaries and Holidays: A Calendar of Days and How to Observe Them. American Library Association, Chicago. 1928.

Mary E. Hazeltine. Judith K. Sollenberger, ed. Anniversaries and Holidays: A Calendar of Days and How to Observe Them Second Edition, Completely Revised. American Library Association, Chicago. 1965.

Thomas James Norton. The Constitution of the United States: Its Sources and Its Application. The World Publishing Company, Cleveland and New York. 1943.  

3 comments:

  1. That's pretty scary, isn't it...that the _Smithsonian_ - which of all places should be historically accurate - would pervert the original speech like that.

    I wouldn't blame the internet for that, however. I suspect you could find the speech accurately reported in other places - but you'd have to look for it, and how would you know ... if you happened to check the SI first? Who wouldn't be inclined to take them as accurate!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That's exactly the point.

      I'm not blaming the internet-- just saying it was nice to have a book source to double check.

      Remember the days when you were told you should trust anyone? Question authority & all that? Welcome to the days.

      Delete
  2. Whoops...that last comment ended up here and no on the Re-writing History article.

    Sorry - I had two screens open by mistake.

    Interruptions, interruptions!

    ReplyDelete

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