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, as
an advocate for farmers and laborers. He switched to the Greenback
Party, and with Democratic support, 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. The
Populists merged with the Democrats by the end of the 19th century, and
Weaver went with them, promoting the candidacy of William Jennings Bryan
for president in 1896, 1900, and 1908. Several of Weaver's political
goals became law after his death, including the direct election of
senators and a graduated income tax.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_B._Weaver>
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Today's selected anniversaries:
1240:
The Disputation of Paris began in the court of King Louis IX,
in which four rabbis defended the Talmud against Nicholas Donin's
accusations of blasphemy.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disputation_of_Paris>
1776:
The Fifth Virginia Convention adopted a declaration of rights,
a hugely influential document that proclaimed the inherent rights of
men.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virginia_Declaration_of_Rights>
1889:
Runaway passenger carriages collided with a following train
near Armagh, present-day Northern Ireland, killing 80 people.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armagh_rail_disaster>
1942:
On her thirteenth birthday, Anne Frank began keeping her diary
during the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Diary_of_a_Young_Girl>
1999:
In the aftermath of the bombing of Yugoslavia and the Kosovo
War, the NATO-led Kosovo Force entered Kosovo with a mandate of
establishing a secure environment in the territory.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kosovo_Force>
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Wiktionary's word of the day:
drama llama:
(slang) A histrionic person.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/drama_llama>
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Wikiquote quote of the day:
I have often been downcast, but never in despair; I regard our
hiding as a dangerous adventure, romantic and interesting at the same
time. In my diary I treat all the privations as amusing. I have made up
my mind now to lead a different life from other girls and, later on,
different from ordinary housewives. My start has been so very full of
interest, and that is the sole reason why I have to laugh at the
humorous side of the most dangerous moments.
--Anne Frank
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Anne_Frank>