The Eastbourne manslaughter (R v Hopley) was an 1860 legal case in Eastbourne, England, about the death of a teenage pupil at the hands of his teacher, Thomas Hopley. Reginald Cancellor's parents gave Hopley permission to use corporal punishment to overcome what he perceived as the boy's stubbornness. After the boy died, the teacher insisted that the beating was justifiable and that he was not guilty of any crime. An inquest into Cancellor's death began when his brother requested an autopsy. As a result of the inquest Hopley was arrested and charged with manslaughter. He was found guilty at trial and sentenced to four years in prison. Hopley's conviction was upheld by the Court of King's Bench (Chief Justice Alexander Cockburn pictured), which said that a schoolmaster "may for the purpose of correcting what is evil in the child, inflict moderate and reasonable corporal punishment." The trial was sensationalised by the Victorian press and incited debate over the use of corporal punishment in schools. Physical discipline was officially banned in British schools more than a century later.

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

_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:

1773:

On James Cook's second voyage, his ship HMS Resolution became the first to cross the Antarctic Circle. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_voyage_of_James_Cook

1893:

Lorrin A. Thurston, along with the Citizens' Committee of Public Safety led the overthrow of the Kingdom of Hawaii and the government of Queen Liliʻuokalani (pictured). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Overthrow_of_the_Kingdom_of_Hawaii

1912:

Robert Falcon Scott's ill-fated Terra Nova Expedition reached the South Pole, only to find that Roald Amundsen's team had beaten them by 33 days. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terra_Nova_Expedition

1948:

Indonesian National Revolution: The Renville Agreement between the Netherlands and Indonesian Republicans was ratified, recognising a cease-fire along the "Van Mook Line". https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Renville_Agreement

1998:

The Drudge Report became the first news source to break the Bill Clinton–Monica Lewinsky scandal to the public https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drudge_Report

_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:

emasculate: 1. (transitive) To deprive of virile or procreative power; to castrate, to geld. 2. (transitive) To deprive of masculine vigor or spirit; to weaken; to render effeminate; to vitiate by unmanly softness. 3. (transitive, botany) Of a flower: to deprive of the anthers. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/emasculate

___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:

I want our young people to know that they matter, that they belong. So don't be afraid — you hear me, young people? Don't be afraid. Be focused. Be determined. Be hopeful. Be empowered. Empower yourselves with a good education, then get out there and use that education to build a country worthy of your boundless promise. Lead by example with hope, never fear. And know that I will be with you, rooting for you and working to support you for the rest of my life.   --Michelle Obama https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Michelle_Obama