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>
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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>
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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>
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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>