A filibuster lasting 24 hours and 18 minutes was conducted on August
28–29, 1957, by Democratic U.S. senator Strom Thurmond (pictured),
intended to prevent the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1957. He read
the election laws of each U.S. state, Supreme Court decisions, and
George Washington's Farewell Address. The bill's power to protect the
voting rights of African Americans had already been significantly
watered down by Senate Democrats, but Thurmond saw the bill as "cruel
and unusual punishment" and felt more intervention was needed. In
filibustering the bill, Thurmond went against a prior agreement among
Senate Democrats and therefore received backlash from some members of
his own party in addition to the disapproval of Republicans. Despite
this, the filibuster was wildly popular among citizens of the South. The
filibuster ultimately failed to change any votes in the Senate and the
bill was signed into law by President Dwight D. Eisenhower less than two
weeks later.
Read more:
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strom_Thurmond_filibuster_of_the_Civil_Rights_Act_of_1957>
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Today's selected anniversaries:
1842:
Under the Treaty of Nanking, an "unequal treaty" that ended the
First Opium War, the Chinese island from which Hong Kong would grow was
ceded to Britain.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hong_Kong>
1903:
Slava, the last of five Borodino-class battleships, was
launched by the Imperial Russian Navy.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian_battleship_Slava>
1984:
Followers of Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh began deliberately
infecting people in The Dalles, Oregon, with Salmonella in the first and
largest bioterrorist attack in United States history.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1984_Rajneeshee_bioterror_attack>
1996:
Vnukovo Airlines Flight 2801 crashed on approach to Svalbard
Airport, Norway, killing all 141 on board.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vnukovo_Airlines_Flight_2801>
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Wiktionary's word of the day:
espy:
1. (transitive)
2. To find out or observe (someone or something, especially if not easy
to see) by spying or looking; to catch sight of; to see; to spot.
3. To see (someone or something) without foreplanning or unexpectedly.
4. (obsolete)
5. To observe (someone) as a spy; also, to examine or observe (someone
or something) carefully; or to look out or watch for.
6. To become aware of (a fact, information, etc.).
7. (intransitive, archaic) To observe as a spy, to spy; also, to examine
or observe carefully; or to look out or watch.
8. (countable)
9. An act of finding out or observing by spying or looking; an espial or
espying.
10. A scout or spy.
11. (uncountable) The act or process of learning secret information
through clandestine means; espionage.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/espy>
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Wikiquote quote of the day:
We’re going back to the Moon for scientific discovery, economic
benefits, and inspiration for a new generation of explorers: the Artemis
Generation. While maintaining American leadership in exploration, we
will build a global alliance and explore deep space for the benefit of
all. … All that we build, all that we study, all that we do, prepares
us to go. … OUR SUCCESS WILL CHANGE THE WORLD
--NASA
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/NASA>