Harold Davidson (1875–1937), rector of the Norfolk parish of Stiffkey
(church pictured), was a Church of England priest who was convicted in
1932 on charges of immorality and defrocked by the Church. Ordained in
1903, he worked among London's poor and homeless. Styling himself the
"Prostitutes' Padre", his declared mission was to rescue young girls he
considered in danger of falling into prostitution. In this role he
approached and befriended hundreds of women, and although there was
little evidence of improper behaviour, he was often found in
compromising situations and his neglect of his parish and family caused
difficulties. A formal complaint led to church disciplinary proceedings,
in which his defence was damaged beyond repair by a photograph of him
with a near-naked teenage girl. Davidson then pursued a career as a
showman to raise funds for his reinstatement campaign, performing
novelty acts such as exhibiting himself in a barrel on the Blackpool
seafront. He died after being attacked by a lion in whose cage he was
appearing. Later commentators have accepted that however inappropriate
his behaviour, his motives were genuine and he did not deserve the
humiliations he endured.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harold_Davidson>
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Today's selected anniversaries:
1540:
King Henry VIII of England had his chief minister Thomas
Cromwell executed for treason and heresy.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Cromwell>
1794:
French Revolution: Maximilien de Robespierre and Louis Antoine
de Saint-Just (pictured left and right respectively), architects of the
Reign of Terror, were executed after having been arrested the previous
day.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_Antoine_de_Saint-Just>
1932:
U.S. President Herbert Hoover ordered the eviction of the
"Bonus Army"—a group of veterans who were occupying government
property to demand immediate payment for money owed.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bonus_Army>
1995:
Two followers of Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh were convicted for the
attempted assassination of the United States Attorney for the District
of Oregon.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1985_Rajneeshee_assassination_plot>
2005:
The Provisional Irish Republican Army announced an end to its
armed campaign to overthrow British rule in Northern Ireland to create a
United Ireland.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Provisional_Irish_Republican_Army>
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Wiktionary's word of the day:
doula:
A support person, usually female, who may not have medical or midwifery
training, who provides emotional assistance to a mother or pregnant
couple before, during or after childbirth.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/doula>
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Wikiquote quote of the day:
One man can make a difference and every man should try.
--Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Jacqueline_Kennedy_Onassis>