Henry W. Sawyer (1918–1999) was an American lawyer, civil rights activist, and Democratic politician. Born in Philadelphia, he served in World War II and attended the University of Pennsylvania Law School. After graduating, he joined the law firm of Drinker Biddle & Reath and remained with them for his entire career. Sawyer worked as a corporate lawyer but is best known for his advocacy of civil liberties, especially in First Amendment cases. In Abington School District v. Schempp and Lemon v. Kurtzman, he successfully argued cases before the Supreme Court of the United States (building pictured) that became the basis for all modern Establishment Clause jurisprudence. He pursued civil rights causes in Philadelphia and in the South during the civil rights movement of the 1960s. He also served a four-year term on the Philadelphia City Council, where he worked on civil service reform and the acquisition of public art for the city.

Read more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_W._Sawyer

_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:

1423:

Hundred Years' War: The English and their Burgundian allies were victorious over the French at the Battle of Cravant near Auxerre, France. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Cravant

1941:

The Holocaust: Under instructions from Adolf Hitler, Hermann Göring authorised SS General Reinhard Heydrich to handle preparations for "the Final Solution of the Jewish question". https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Final_Solution

1971:

Apollo program: The first Lunar Roving Vehicle was used during the Apollo 15 mission to the Moon. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo_15

2012:

The largest power outage in history occurred across 22 Indian states, affecting more than 620 million people, or about 9 percent of the world's population. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2012_India_blackouts

_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:

aposematism: (biology, chiefly zoology) An adaptation, especially a form of coloration, that warns off potential predators. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/aposematism

___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:

Those who choose not to empathize enable real monsters; for without ever committing an act of outright evil ourselves, we collude with it through our own apathy.   --J. K. Rowling https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/J._K._Rowling