James B. Weaver (1833–1912) was a two-time candidate for US president and a congressman from Iowa. After serving in the Union Army in the Civil War, Weaver worked for the election of Republican candidates, but switched to the Greenback Party in 1877, and won election to the House in 1878. The Greenbackers nominated Weaver for president in 1880, but he received only 3.3 percent of the popular vote. He was again elected to the House in 1884 and 1886, where he worked for expansion of the money supply and for the opening of Indian Territory to white settlement. As the Greenback Party fell apart, he helped organize a new left-wing party, the Populists, and was their nominee for president in 1892. This time he gained 8.5 percent of the popular vote and won five states. Several of Weaver's political goals became law after his death, including the direct election of senators and a graduated income tax. (This article is part of a featured topic: 1880 United States presidential election.).
Read more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Featured_topics/1880_United_States_presidential_election
_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:
1916:
The final letter in the McMahon–Hussein Correspondence was written, agreeing that Britain would recognise Arab independence in return for the Sharif of Mecca launching a revolt against the Ottoman Empire. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McMahon%E2%80%93Hussein_Correspondence
1949:
Mildred Gillars, nicknamed Axis Sally, was convicted of treason for working with the Nazis as a broadcaster. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mildred_Gillars
1967:
British progressive-rock band Pink Floyd released their first single, "Arnold Layne". https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pink_Floyd
2019:
Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 (aircraft pictured) crashed shortly after take-off from Addis Ababa, with the deaths of all 157 people on board. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethiopian_Airlines_Flight_302
_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:
long COVID: (pathology, neologism) Long-term sequelae or symptoms (such as brain fog, extreme fatigue, or shortness of breath) following a COVID-19 infection, which persist after the SARS-CoV-2 virus is no longer active. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/long_COVID
___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:
The mind understands something only insofar as it absorbs it like a seed into itself, nurtures it, and lets it grow into blossom and fruit. Therefore scatter holy seeds into the soil of the spirit. --Karl Wilhelm Friedrich Schlegel https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Karl_Wilhelm_Friedrich_Schlegel