Thomas R. Marshall (March 14, 1854 – June 1, 1925) was a Democratic politician who served as the 28th Vice President of the United States from 1913 to 1921. As the 27th Governor of Indiana, he proposed a new, controversial state constitution and pressed for other Progressive Era reforms. His popularity as governor, and Indiana's status as a critical swing state, helped him secure the vice presidential nomination on a ticket with Woodrow Wilson in 1912 and win the general election. During World War I, after a small number of anti-war senators kept the Senate deadlocked by refusing to end debate, Marshall led the body to adopt its first rule allowing filibusters to be ended by a two-thirds majority vote. After a stroke incapacitated Wilson in October 1919, many cabinet officials and Congressional leaders urged Marshall to become acting president, but he refused to forcibly assume the presidency for fear of setting a precedent. Well known for his wit and sense of humor, he once quipped during a Senate debate, "What this country needs is a really good five-cent cigar".

Read more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_R._Marshall

_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:

1489:

Queen of Cyprus Catherine Cornaro was forced to abdicate and sell the administration of the island to the Republic of Venice. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catherine_Cornaro

1885:

The Mikado, Gilbert and Sullivan's most frequently performed Savoy opera, debuted at the Savoy Theatre in London. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Mikado

1910:

Oil prospectors in Kern County, California, drilled into a pressurized oil deposit, resulting in the largest accidental oil spill in history. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lakeview_Gusher

1978:

Israeli–Lebanese conflict: The Israel Defense Forces began Operation Litani, invading and occupying southern Lebanon, and pushing PLO troops north up to the Litani River. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1978_South_Lebanon_conflict

1988:

China defeated Vietnam in a naval battle as the former attempted to establish oceanographic observation posts on the Spratly Islands. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johnson_South_Reef_Skirmish

_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:

Pi Day: March 14th, an annual celebration of the mathematical constant π (pi). https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Pi_Day

___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:

The world is in greater peril from those who tolerate or encourage evil than from those who actually commit it.   --Albert Einstein https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Albert_Einstein