Elizabeth Willing Powel (February 21, 1743 – January 17, 1830) was an American socialite and a prominent member of the Philadelphia upper class of the late 18th and early 19th centuries. After the American Revolutionary War, she established a salon of the Republican Court of leading intellectuals and political figures. She corresponded widely, including with the political elite of the time. A close friend to George Washington, she was among those who convinced him to continue for a second term as president. She wrote extensively, but privately, on a wide range of subjects, including politics, the role of women, medicine, education, and philosophy. Powel is said to be the person who asked Benjamin Franklin "What have we got, a republic or a monarchy?", to which he replied "A republic ... if you can keep it"; over time the role played by Powel in this exchange has been all but removed. Hundreds of her letters and several of her portraits survive.

Read more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elizabeth_Willing_Powel

_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:

1893:

Lorrin A. Thurston and the Citizens' Committee of Public Safety led the overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom and the government of Queen Liliʻuokalani. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Overthrow_of_the_Hawaiian_Kingdom

1946:

The United Nations Security Council (chamber pictured), the organ of the United Nations charged with the maintenance of international peace and security, held its first meeting at Church House, Westminster. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Nations_Security_Council

2002:

Mount Nyiragongo in the Democratic Republic of the Congo began erupting, killing hundreds and leaving about 120,000 people homeless in the nearby town of Goma. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Nyiragongo

_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:

snatch and run: An unsophisticated method of committing robbery by grabbing someone's property and attempting to flee with it. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/snatch_and_run

___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:

When people ask me whether being in the White House has changed my husband, I can honestly say that when it comes to his character, and his convictions, and his heart, Barack Obama is still the same man I fell in love with all those years ago. He's the same man who started his career by turning down high paying jobs and instead working in struggling neighborhoods where a steel plant had shut down, fighting to rebuild those communities and get folks back to work … because for Barack, success isn't about how much money you make, it's about the difference you make in people's lives.   --Michelle Obama https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Michelle_Obama