William Howard Taft (1857–1930) was the 27th President of the United States (1909–1913) and the 10th Chief Justice of the United States (1921–1930), the only person to have held both offices. Taft initially served as a state and federal judge, and as governor of the Philippines beginning in 1900. In 1904 Theodore Roosevelt made him Secretary of War. Taft declined repeated offers to become a Supreme Court justice. He was Roosevelt's hand-picked successor in 1908, and easily defeated William Jennings Bryan for the presidency. In the White House, he focused on the Far East more than Europe, and repeatedly intervened in Latin America. Taft was allied with the conservative wing of the Republican Party, while Roosevelt became more liberal after 1909. Roosevelt unsuccessfully challenged Taft for renomination in 1912, then bolted the party and ran as a third-party candidate. The split in the Republican vote left Taft with little chance of re-election, and he lost to Woodrow Wilson, winning only Utah and Vermont. In 1921 Taft was appointed Chief Justice, and served until a month before his death. He posted a conservative record, and reformed the court's administration.

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

_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:

1799:

The coup of 18 Brumaire led by Emmanuel Joseph Sieyès and Napoleon deposed the French government, replacing the Directory with the Consulate. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coup_of_18_Brumaire

1822:

USS Alligator engaged three piratical schooners off the coast of Cuba in one of the West Indies anti-piracy operations of the United States. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Action_of_9_November_1822

1938:

Kristallnacht began as SA stormtroopers and civilians destroyed and ransacked Jewish homes, businesses and synagogues in Germany and Austria, resulting in at least 90 deaths and the deportation of over 25,000 others to concentration camps. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kristallnacht

1998:

With the passing of the Human Rights Act, the European Convention on Human Rights was incorporated into United Kingdom law. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_Rights_Act_1998

2005:

The European Space Agency launched the Venus Express mission, the first long-term observation of the Venusian atmosphere. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Venus_Express

_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:

puissance: 1. Power, might or potency. 2. (equestrianism) Often Puissance: The high-jump component of the sport of show jumping. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/puissance

___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:

We wish to pursue the truth no matter where it leads — but to find the truth we need imagination and skepticism both. We will not be afraid to speculate — but we will be careful to distinguish speculation from fact. The Cosmos is full beyond measure of elegant truths, of exquisite interrelationships, of the awesome machinery of nature. The surface of the Earth is the shore of the cosmic ocean. On this shore we've learned most of what we know. Recently we've waded a little way out, maybe ankle deep, and the water seems inviting. Some part of our being knows this is where we came from. We long to return. And we can. Because the cosmos is also within us. We're made of star- stuff. We are a way for the cosmos to know itself.   --Carl Sagan https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Carl_Sagan