This Day in History Entry #268

March 26th, 2014 by Wordsman

Pick just one? I don’t know how you’d try
Eagle? Elephant? Donkey? Oh my!
But I think, in all candor
It’s the gerrymander
And the votes back me up! Ain’t that sly?

Event: A cartoon depicting a “Gerry-mander” (a strange animal in the peculiar shape of a new Massachusetts congressional district) appears in the Boston Gazette
Year: 1812
Learn more: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gerrymander

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This Day in History Entry #267

March 19th, 2014 by Wordsman

Calling images out of thin air
They could show scenes that weren’t really there
With their magical light
They caused dreams to take flight
Quite the wizards, the bros Lumière

Event: The Lumière brothers record their first film footage on their cinematograph (one of the first movie cameras)
Year: 1895
Learn more: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auguste_and_Louis_Lumi%C3%A8re

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This Day in History Entry #266

March 12th, 2014 by Wordsman

More than fifty-nine mill’ have enrolled
To do duty and honor uphold
But to me what’s most dear
Is the eight weeks a year
When those marvelous Thin Mints are sold

Event: The Girl Scouts (then Girl Guides) of the USA are founded
Year: 1912
Learn more: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Girl_Scouts_of_the_USA

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This Day in History Entry #265

March 5th, 2014 by Wordsman

“In our fabulous heavenly plot
A fine center we’ve already got
Now you say it’s the sun?
That’s it, Nicky! You’re done!
No one else will be reading this rot!”

Event: The Catholic Church bans Copernicus’ De revolutionibus orbium coelestium (On the Revolutions of the Heavenly Spheres) despite the fact that almost no one was interested in reading it or capable of understanding it
Year: 1616
Learn more: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/De_revolutionibus_orbium_coelestium

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