John Adams (1735–1826) was a leader of the American Revolution and the
second president of the United States (1797–1801). He was a dedicated
diarist, and corresponded with his wife and advisor Abigail, recording
important historical information on the era. As a lawyer, Adams was
devoted to the right to counsel and presumption of innocence; he defied
anti-British sentiment and successfully defended British soldiers
against murder charges arising from the Boston Massacre. A political
activist prior to the revolution, Adams was a Massachusetts delegate to
the Continental Congress. He assisted in drafting the Declaration of
Independence in 1776 and was its foremost advocate in Congress. As a
diplomat in Europe, he helped negotiate the Treaty of Paris with
Britain. Adams was the primary author of the Massachusetts Constitution
in 1780, which influenced the United States Constitution.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Adams>
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Today's selected anniversaries:
1769:
French astronomer Charles Messier first noted the Orion Nebula,
a bright nebula situated south of Orion's Belt, later cataloguing it as
the 42nd item in his list of Messier objects.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orion_Nebula>
1899:
Cyclone Mahina struck Bathurst Bay, Queensland, killing over
400 people in the deadliest natural disaster in Australian history.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyclone_Mahina>
1944:
Murder, Inc. leader Louis Buchalter was executed, becoming the
only major mob boss to receive the death penalty in the United States
after being convicted of murder.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_Buchalter>
2009:
The International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for
President of Sudan Omar al-Bashir on charges of war crimes and crimes
against humanity regarding his actions during the War in Darfur.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Omar_al-Bashir>
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Wiktionary's word of the day:
not to put too fine a point on it:
(idiomatic) Used to apologize for a possibly impolite statement one is
making.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/not_to_put_too_fine_a_point_on_it>
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Wikiquote quote of the day:
Build up your weaknesses until they become your strong points.
--Knute Rockne
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Knute_Rockne>
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