In California's 12th congressional district election, 1946, the candidates were five-term incumbent Democrat Jerry Voorhis, Republican challenger Richard Nixon, and former congressman and Prohibition Party candidate John Hoeppel. Nixon was elected with 56% of the vote, starting him on the road that would lead, almost a quarter century later, to the presidency. For the 1946 election, Republicans sought a candidate who could unite the party and run a strong race against Voorhis in the Republican-leaning district. After failing to secure the candidacy of General George Patton, they settled on Lieutenant Commander Richard Nixon, who had lived in the district prior to his World War II service. Various explanations have been put forward for Nixon's victory, from national political trends to red-baiting on the part of the challenger. Some historians contend that Nixon received large amounts of funding from wealthy backers determined to defeat Voorhis, while others dismiss such allegations.

Read the rest of this article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/California%27s_12th_congressional_district_election%2C_1946

_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:

1913:

Emily Davison, an activist for women's suffrage in the United Kingdom, was fatally injured when she was trampled by King George V's horse at the Epsom Derby. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emily_Davison

1942:

The Battle of Midway, a major battle in the Pacific Theatre of World War II, began with a massive Imperial Japanese strike on Midway Atoll. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Midway

1975:

Governor of California Jerry Brown signed the California Agricultural Labor Relations Act, the first law in the United States guaranteeing collective bargaining rights to farmworkers. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/California_Agricultural_Labor_Relations_Act

1989:

Following the death of the Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the Assembly of Experts elected Ali Khamenei to be the Supreme Leader of Iran. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ali_Khamenei

1996:

The maiden flight of the Ariane 5 expendable launch system failed, with the rocket self-destructing 37 seconds after launch because of a malfunction in the control software, one of the most expensive computer bugs in history. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ariane_5_Flight_501

_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:

anabasis (n): A military march up-country http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/anabasis

___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:

Knowledge is meaningful only if it is reflected in action. The human race has found out the hard way that we are what we do, not just what we think. This is true for kids and adults — for schoolrooms and nations. --Robert Fulghum http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Robert_Fulghum