William Lyon Mackenzie (March 12, 1795 – August 28, 1861) was a Scottish-born Canadian-American journalist and politician. He founded newspapers critical of the Family Compact, represented York County in the Legislative Assembly of Upper Canada and aligned with Reformers. Dundee-born, Mackenzie emigrated to York, Upper Canada, (now Toronto) in 1820 and published his first newspaper in 1824. He was elected to the legislative assembly in 1827 and became Toronto's first mayor in 1834. In 1837, he commanded the rebels in the Upper Canada Rebellion, but was defeated at the Battle of Montgomery's Tavern. He fled to the U.S. to rally American support for an invasion of Upper Canada. This violated the Neutrality Act and he was imprisoned. He discovered and published documents that outlined corrupt financial transactions and government appointments by New York state officials. He represented Haldimand County in the legislature of the Province of Canada from 1851 to 1858, and died in August 1861.
Read more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Lyon_Mackenzie
_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:
1833:
The Slavery Abolition Act 1833, officially abolishing slavery in most of the British Empire, received royal assent. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slavery_Abolition_Act_1833
1901:
Silliman University in Dumaguete, Philippines, was founded as the first American educational institution in Asia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silliman_University
1963:
American civil-rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his "I Have a Dream" speech, envisioning a future in which blacks and whites coexisted harmoniously as equals. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_Have_a_Dream
1973:
Swedish police used gas bombs to end a seven-day hostage situation in Stockholm; during the incident the hostages had bonded with their captors, leading to the term Stockholm syndrome. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norrmalmstorg_robbery
_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:
Faustian bargain: 1. (idiomatic) An agreement in which a person abandons his or her spiritual values or moral principles in order to obtain knowledge, wealth or other benefits. 2. (idiomatic) A deal in which one focuses on present gain without considering the long-term consequences. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Faustian_bargain
___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:
One ought, every day at least, to hear a little song, read a good poem, see a fine picture, and, if it were possible, to speak a few reasonable words. --Johann Wolfgang von Goethe https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Johann_Wolfgang_von_Goethe