William McSherry (1799–1839) was a Catholic priest, a prominent leader of the Jesuits in the United States, and a president of Georgetown College in Washington, D.C. Born in western Virginia, McSherry studied at Georgetown and was educated for the priesthood in Rome, where he discovered significant, forgotten holdings in the Jesuit archives about the early European settling of Maryland and the language of Native American tribes. McSherry served as the first provincial superior of the Jesuit Maryland Province from 1833 to 1837 and laid the groundwork for the sale of 272 of its slaves. He then became President of Georgetown College, exchanging positions with Thomas Mulledy, who executed the sale as provincial. Upon Mulledy's suspension in 1839 over the slave sale scandal, McSherry again became provincial. Near to death, his term lasted just several months. In 2015, due to his and Mulledy's involvement in the slave sale, Georgetown University renamed McSherry Hall.

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

_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:

1813:

Napoleonic Wars: Two evenly matched French and British frigates fought for four hours at the Îles de Los off the coast of Guinea, resulting in a stalemate. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Action_of_7_February_1813

1940:

Walt Disney's Pinocchio, the first animated feature to win a competitive Academy Award, debuted at the Center Theatre in New York City. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinocchio_%281940_film%29

1984:

During the Space Shuttle Challenger mission STS-41-B, astronauts Bruce McCandless II and Robert L. Stewart performed the first untethered spacewalk. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/STS-41-B

1994:

Having retired four months earlier, American basketball player Michael Jordan signed a contract to play baseball for the Chicago White Sox. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Jordan

_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:

finesse: 1. (transitive, chiefly Canada, US, politics) To evade (a problem, situation, etc.) by using some clever argument or strategem. 2. (transitive, card games) To play (a card) as a finesse. 3. (transitive, intransitive) To handle or manage carefully or skilfully; to manipulate in a crafty way. 4. (intransitive, card games) To attempt to win a trick by finessing. 5. (intransitive, croquet, obsolete) To play a ball out of the way of an opponent. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/finesse

___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:

As actors it is easy for us to play the hero. We get to fight the bad guys and stand up for justice. In real life, the choices are not always so clear. The Hollywood Blacklist … was a time I remember well. The choices were hard. The consequences were painful and very real. During the blacklist, I had friends who went into exile when no one would hire them; actors who committed suicide in despair. … I was threatened that using a Blacklisted writer for Spartacus –– my friend Dalton Trumbo — would mark me as a “Commie-lover” and end my career. There are times when one has to stand up for principle. I am so proud of my fellow actors who use their public influence to speak out against injustice. At 98 years old, I have learned one lesson from history: It very often repeats itself.   --Kirk Douglas https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Kirk_Douglas