Sunday, July 12, 2009

Spotlight
French captain Alfred Dreyfus was wrongly accused of treason in 1894. He was convicted and sentenced to life in prison. Since Dreyfus was a Jew, the affair raised the issue of anti-semitism in the French military and government. Writer Émile Zola wrote an open letter ("J'Accuse") published in the newspaper, accusing the military of anti-semitism in its actions. He was convicted of libel and sentenced to prison, but fled to England. On this date in 1906, Dreyfus was declared innocent and released from prison. He was given back his commission in the army and decorated, and went on to fight in World War I, rising to the rank of lieutenant colonel. Zola died of carbon monoxide poisoning four years before Dreyfus' exoneration.

Quote
"If you shut up truth and bury it under the ground, it will but grow, and gather to itself such explosive power that the day it bursts through it will blow up everything in its way." — Émile Zola

Question of the Day
Who said 'If this be treason then make the most of it'?
It was Patrick Henry in the Virginia House of Burgesses in late May 1765. His speech was made in an attempt to persuade the House to pass his resolutions that condemned Parliament's Stamp Act, which taxed paperwork of various kinds, including wills and playing cards. As he spoke, he said that Caesar had his Brutus, that Charles had his Cromwell, and that George the Third.... But at the mention of the name of the king, many of those who opposed the resolutions erupted with shouts of "Treason," "Expel that man," and "Silence the Traitor." Determined to finish his statement, Henry shouted above the tumult, "George the Third may profit by their example!" There were more calls of "Treason," to which Henry replied "If this be treason, then make the most of it."

It is interesting to note that a young Thomas Jefferson, though not yet elected to the House of Burgesses, was present at this debate as a spectator. It was at this time that the revolutionary fire was lit in the heart of the man who would become the author of the Declaration of Independence.

Word of the day
chi

The vital force believed in Taoism and other Chinese thought to be inherent in all things. The unimpeded circulation of chi and a balance of its negative and positive forms in the body are held to be essential to good health in traditional Chinese medicine.
(© Houghton Mifflin Company)

Today's History

Catherine Parr

• Henry VIII: married his sixth (and final) wife, Catherine Parr; she outlived him by a year (1543)
• Medal of Honor: the top US military decoration was authorized by Congress (1862)
• the Rolling Stones: performed their first concert, at London's Marquee Club (1962)
• Geraldine Ferraro: became the first woman nominated for US vice president on a major-party ticket; she was chosen by Democratic candidate Walter Mondale (1984)

Today's Birthdays

Kristi Yamaguchi

• Amedeo Modigliani (1884-1920): painter and sculptor; artist Andrew Wyeth (1917-2009) shared this birth date
• Oscar Hammerstein II (1895-1960): award-winning lyricist, Show Boat, The Sound of Music
• Buckminster Fuller (1895-1983): engineer and inventor of the geodesic dome; plus, innovator in photography George Eastman (1854-1932)
• Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862): transcendentalist who lived for two years in a hut on Walden Pond and wrote of his experiences
• Bill Cosby (72): actor and comedian who broke ground with his roles on I Spy and The Cosby Show; other actors born on this date include Denise Nicholas (63), Anna Friel (33), Michelle Rodriguez and Topher Grace (both 31)
• Richard Simmons (61): fitness guru
• Kristi Yamaguchi (38): champion figure skater