Andrew Johnson (1808–1875) was the 17th President of the United
States, serving from 1865 to 1869. Johnson was elected to the House of
Representatives in 1843, became Governor of Tennessee in 1853, and was
elected to the Senate in 1857, where he sought passage of the Homestead
Bill. As Southern states, including Tennessee, seceded to form the
Confederacy, Johnson remained firmly with the Union. As a War Democrat
in 1864, he was a logical choice as running mate for President Abraham
Lincoln, who wished to send a message of national unity. Johnson was
sworn in as vice president in March 1865; six weeks later, the
assassination of Lincoln made him president. Johnson directed the
seceded states to hold conventions and elections to re-form their civil
governments. When Congress passed bills for a more severe
Reconstruction, he vetoed them, but Congress overrode him, setting a
pattern for the remainder of his presidency. When he tried to dismiss
Secretary of War Edwin Stanton in possible violation of the Tenure of
Office Act, he was impeached by the House of Representatives, and
narrowly avoided removal from office. Although his ranking has
fluctuated over time, he is generally considered among the worst
American presidents.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrew_Johnson>
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Today's selected anniversaries:
1071:
Norman forces, under the command of Robert Guiscard, conquered
the city of Bari, the capital of the Catepanate of Italy.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siege_of_Bari>
1638:
A rebellion by Catholic Japanese peasants in Shimabara over
increased taxes was put down by the Tokugawa shogunate, resulting in
greater enforcement of the policy of national seclusion.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shimabara_Rebellion>
1912:
The passenger liner RMS Titanic sank about two hours and forty
minutes after colliding with an iceberg, killing more than 1,500 people.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sinking_of_the_RMS_Titanic>
1986:
U.S. armed forces began bombing Libya to try to reduce that
country's ability to support international terrorism.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1986_United_States_bombing_of_Libya>
1995:
At a GATT ministerial meeting in Marrakesh, Morocco,
representatives of 124 countries and the European Communities signed an
agreement to establish the World Trade Organization.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Trade_Organization>
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Wiktionary's word of the day:
eschatology:
1. (countable) System of doctrines concerning final matters, such as death.
2. (uncountable) The study of the end times — the end of the world,
notably in Christian theology the second coming of Christ, the
Apocalypse or the Last Judgment.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/eschatology>
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Wikiquote quote of the day:
Why does the eye see a thing more clearly in dreams than with
the imagination being awake?
--Leonardo da Vinci
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Leonardo_da_Vinci>