John Adams (1735–1826) was a leader of the American Revolution and the second president of the United States (1797–1801). He was a dedicated diarist, and corresponded with his wife and advisor Abigail, recording important historical information on the era. As a lawyer, Adams was devoted to the right to counsel and presumption of innocence; he defied anti-British sentiment and successfully defended British soldiers against murder charges arising from the Boston Massacre. A political activist prior to the revolution, Adams was a Massachusetts delegate to the Continental Congress. He assisted in drafting the Declaration of Independence in 1776 and was its foremost advocate in Congress. As a diplomat in Europe, he helped negotiate the Treaty of Paris with Britain. Adams was the primary author of the Massachusetts Constitution in 1780, which influenced the United States Constitution.
Read more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Adams
_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:
1769:
French astronomer Charles Messier first noted the Orion Nebula, a bright nebula situated south of Orion's Belt, later cataloguing it as the 42nd item in his list of Messier objects. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orion_Nebula
1899:
Cyclone Mahina struck Bathurst Bay, Queensland, killing over 400 people in the deadliest natural disaster in Australian history. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyclone_Mahina
1944:
Murder, Inc. leader Louis Buchalter was executed, becoming the only major mob boss to receive the death penalty in the United States after being convicted of murder. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_Buchalter
2009:
The International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for President of Sudan Omar al-Bashir on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity regarding his actions during the War in Darfur. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Omar_al-Bashir
_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:
not to put too fine a point on it: (idiomatic) Used to apologize for a possibly impolite statement one is making. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/not_to_put_too_fine_a_point_on_it
___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:
Build up your weaknesses until they become your strong points. --Knute Rockne https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Knute_Rockne