William H. Seward (May 16, 1801 – October 10, 1872) was United States
Secretary of State from 1861 to 1869. A determined opponent of the
spread of slavery in the years leading up to the Civil War, he was a
dominant figure in the Republican Party in its formative years. While
Governor of New York, he signed laws that advanced the rights of black
residents. He was elected as a U.S. Senator in 1849, serving two six-
year terms. Though he was the favorite for the Republican presidential
nomination in 1860, delegates sought a moderate on the slavery question,
choosing Abraham Lincoln. As Secretary of State, his firm stance against
foreign intervention helped deter the United Kingdom and France from
entering the conflict. He was a target of the 1865 assassination plot
that killed Lincoln, and was seriously wounded by conspirator Lewis
Powell. Seward remained at his post through the presidency of Andrew
Johnson, during which he negotiated the Alaska Purchase in 1867.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_H._Seward>
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Today's selected anniversaries:
1929:
The 1st Academy Awards ceremony was held at the Hollywood
Roosevelt Hotel in Los Angeles.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1st_Academy_Awards>
1960:
American physicist Theodore Maiman operated the first working
laser at the Hughes Research Laboratories in Malibu, California.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theodore_Maiman>
1961:
The Military Revolution Committee, led by Park Chung-hee,
carried out a bloodless coup against the government of Yun Bo-seon,
ending the Second Republic of South Korea.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/May_16_coup>
1975:
Japanese climber Junko Tabei became the first woman to reach
the summit of Mount Everest.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Junko_Tabei>
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Wiktionary's word of the day:
terse:
1. (obsolete) Burnished, polished; fine, smooth; neat, spruce.
2. (by extension) Of speech or style: brief, concise, to the point.
3. (by extension) Of manner or speech: abruptly or brusquely short;
curt.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/terse>
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Wikiquote quote of the day:
The really frightening thing about middle age is the knowledge
that you'll grow out of it.
--Doris Day
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Doris_Day>
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