In 1896, William Jennings Bryan ran for President of the United States. The former Democratic congressman from Nebraska, who gained his party's presidential nomination in July of that year after electrifying the Democratic National Convention with his Cross of Gold speech, was defeated in the general election by the Republican candidate, former Ohio governor William McKinley. Born in 1860, Bryan grew up in rural Illinois and in 1887 moved to Nebraska, where he practiced law and entered politics. He won election to the House of Representatives in 1890, and was re-elected in 1892, before mounting an unsuccessful Senate campaign. Despite the loss, he set his sights on higher office, believing he could be elected president in 1896 even though he remained a relatively minor figure in the Democratic Party. In anticipation of a presidential run, he spent much of 1895 and early 1896 making speeches across the United States; his compelling oratory increased his popularity in his party. After gaining the nomination, he undertook an extensive tour by rail to bring his campaign to the people, speaking some 600 times, to an estimated 5,000,000 listeners. His campaign focused on prosperity through bimetallism (or free silver), an issue which failed to appeal to the urban voter.
Read more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Jennings_Bryan_presidential_campaign,_1896
_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:
1778:
American Revolutionary War: British forces and their Seneca allies attacked a fort and the village of Cherry Valley, New York, killing 14 soldiers and 30 civilians. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cherry_Valley_massacre
1889:
Washington, named in honor of the first U.S. president, was admitted to the United States as the 42nd state. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Washington_(state)
1934:
The Shrine of Remembrance, a memorial to all Australians who have served in war, opened in Melbourne. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shrine_of_Remembrance
1942:
World War II: The Allies (Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery pictured) defeated the Axis at the Second Battle of El Alamein, Egypt, turning the tide in the North African Campaign by ending Axis hopes of taking control of the Suez Canal and thus gaining access east to the Middle Eastern oil fields. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Battle_of_El_Alamein
1965:
Southern Rhodesia, led by Prime Minister Ian Smith, unilaterally declared independence from the United Kingdom to become Rhodesia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ian_Smith
_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:
papaverous: Of, pertaining to, or characteristic of the poppy. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/papaverous
___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:
I didn't learn until I was in college about all the other cultures, and I should have learned that in the first grade. A first grader should understand that his or her culture isn't a rational invention; that there are thousands of other cultures and they all work pretty well; that all cultures function on faith rather than truth; that there are lots of alternatives to our own society. Cultural relativism is defensible and attractive. It's also a source of hope. It means we don't have to continue this way if we don't like it. --Kurt Vonnegut https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Kurt_Vonnegut