Mary Jane Richardson Jones (1819–1909) was an American abolitionist, philanthropist, and suffragist. Born in Tennessee to free black parents, Jones moved with her family to Illinois during her teenage years. Along with her husband, John, she was a leading African-American figure in the early history of Chicago. The Jones household was a stop on the Underground Railroad and a center of abolitionist activity. The Joneses helped hundreds of fugitives fleeing slavery. After her husband's death in 1879, Jones continued to support African-American civil rights and advancement in Chicago, and became a suffragist. She was active in the women's club movement and mentored a new generation of younger black leaders, such as Fannie Barrier Williams, Ida B. Wells, and Daniel Hale Williams. She also made extensive philanthropic contributions. Jones died at age 89 and was buried under a tombstone which reads "Grandma Jonesie". A Chicago park was named in her honor in 2005.
Read more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Jane_Richardson_Jones
_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:
1910:
French aviator Raymonde de Laroche became the first woman to receive a pilot's licence. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raymonde_de_Laroche
1963:
The Ba'ath Party came to power in a coup d'état by a clique of quasi-leftist Syrian Army officers calling themselves the National Council for the Revolutionary Command. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1963_Syrian_coup_d%27%C3%A9tat
1966:
Nelson's Pillar, a large granite pillar topped by a statue of Lord Nelson in Dublin, Ireland, was severely damaged by a bomb. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nelson%27s_Pillar
1979:
Images taken by Voyager 1 proved the existence of volcanoes on Io, a moon of Jupiter. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volcanism_on_Io
_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:
phugoid: 1. (aeronautics, aviation) Of the motion of an aircraft, missile, or other flying object: continuously oscillating in a vertical plane due to the object pitching up and climbing, thus slowing down; then pitching down and descending, thus speeding up. 2. (aeronautics, aviation) The motion of an aircraft, missile, or other flying object continuously oscillating in a vertical plane due to the object pitching up and climbing, thus slowing down; then pitching down and descending, thus speeding up. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/phugoid
___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:
The Wild Wood is pretty well populated by now; with all the usual lot, good, bad, and indifferent — I name no names. It takes all sorts to make a world. --Kenneth Grahame https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Kenneth_Grahame