John Rolph (1793–1870) was a physician, lawyer, and political figure. He immigrated to Upper Canada in 1813 and practised law and medicine concurrently. In 1824, Rolph was elected to the Parliament of Upper Canada. He was elected as an alderman to Toronto's first city council but resigned after his council colleagues did not select him as the city's mayor. When the Upper Canada Rebellion began in 1837, Rolph did not join the rebels even though he agreed to support them. Instead, the Lieutenant Governor appointed him as his emissary to deliver the government's truce offer. After the rebellion, Rolph fled to the US and focused on his medical career. The Canadian government granted him amnesty and he returned to Canada in 1843, later creating a new medical institution in Toronto called the Rolph School. In 1851 he was elected to the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada, but resigned three years later. He retired in 1870 and died later that year.
Read more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Rolph
_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:
1978:
British medical photographer Janet Parker became the last recorded person to die from smallpox, leading to a debate on whether the virus should be preserved. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1978_smallpox_outbreak_in_the_United_Kingdom
1995:
Mir EO-19, the first expedition to the Russian space station Mir launched on an American Space Shuttle, returned to Earth after approximately 75 days in space. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mir_EO-19
2001:
al-Qaeda hijacked four passenger airliners to carry out a series of terrorist attacks (one pictured) against targets in New York City and the area of Washington, D.C., killing 2,977 people. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/September_11_attacks
_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:
demur: 1. (intransitive) 2. Chiefly followed by to, and sometimes by at or on: to object or be reluctant; to balk, to take exception. 3. (law) To submit a demurrer (“motion by a party to a legal action for the immediate or summary judgment of the court on the question of whether, assuming the truth of the matter alleged by the opposite party, it is sufficient in law to sustain the action or defence, and hence whether the party bringing the motion is required to answer or proceed further”). 4. (obsolete) To endure, to last. 5. (obsolete) To linger, to tarry. 6. (obsolete) To remain, to stay. 7. (obsolete) To suspend judgment or proceedings because of a difficulty or doubt; to put off the conclusion or determination of a matter; to delay, to hesitate, to pause. 8. (obsolete, rare) To have doubts; to be doubtful. 9. (obsolete, figurative) Followed by upon: to be captivated or fixated; to dwell on, to linger. 10. (transitive) 11. (rare) To object or take exception to (something). 12. (obsolete) To cause delay to (someone or something); to put off. 13. (obsolete) To have doubts or hesitate about (something). 14. An act of objecting or taking exception; a scruple; also, an exception taken or objection to something. 15. (obsolete) 16. An act of continuing; a continuance. 17. An act of lingering or tarrying. 18. An act of remaining or staying; a residence, a stay. 19. A state of having doubts; a hesitation, a pause. 20. (law) Synonym of demurrer (“a motion by a party to a legal action for the immediate or summary judgment of the court on the question of whether, assuming the truth of the matter alleged by the opposite party, it is sufficient in law to sustain the action or defence, and hence whether the party bringing the motion is required to answer or proceed further”) https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/demur
___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:
This is a day when all Americans from every walk of life unite in our resolve for justice and peace. America has stood down enemies before, and we will do so this time. None of us will ever forget this day. Yet, we go forward to defend freedom and all that is good and just in our world. --George W. Bush https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/George_W._Bush