The Romney Literary Society, established on January 30, 1819, as the Polemic Society of Romney, was the first literary society in what is now West Virginia, and one of the first in the United States. It was founded by nine prominent Romney men with the objectives of advancing literature and science, purchasing and maintaining a library, and improving educational opportunities. The society debated a range of scientific and social topics, and often violated its own rules banning religious and political subjects. The society's library began in 1819 and grew to contain around 3,000 volumes in 1861. The organization also sought to establish an institution for "the higher education of the youth of the community". During the Civil War the contents of the library were plundered by Union Army forces. The society was reorganized in 1869 and took a leading role in Romney's civil development. In 1870 the group built the Literary Hall (pictured) and offered its former campus to the West Virginia Schools for the Deaf and Blind. The Literary Hall housed the library and group meetings until their last recorded meeting in 1886.
Read more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Romney_Literary_Society
_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:
1018:
The German–Polish War ended with the signing of the Peace of Bautzen between Henry II, Holy Roman Emperor, and the Piast ruler of Poland, Bolesław I. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peace_of_Bautzen
1835:
Richard Lawrence became the first person to make an assassination attempt on a sitting US president when he failed to kill Andrew Jackson and was subdued by the crowd. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Lawrence_(failed_assassin)
1930:
Soviet meteorologist Pavel Molchanov launched one of the world's first radiosondes, a device attached to weather balloons to measure various atmospheric parameters. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radiosonde
1959:
On the return leg of her maiden voyage, the "unsinkable" Danish ocean liner Hans Hedtoft struck an iceberg and sank with all 95 passengers and crew lost. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MS_Hans_Hedtoft
2000:
Kenya Airways Flight 431 crashed into the Atlantic Ocean near Côte d'Ivoire shortly after takeoff, killing 169 on board. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kenya_Airways_Flight_431
_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:
wash-ball: (archaic) A ball or cake of substance used for bathing or personal cleansing, or to produce a lather for shaving; a ball of soap. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/wash-ball
___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:
We must scrupulously guard the civil rights and civil liberties of all our citizens, whatever their background. We must remember that any oppression, any injustice, any hatred, is a wedge designed to attack our civilization. --Franklin D. Roosevelt https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Franklin_D._Roosevelt