Elias Abraham Rosenberg (c. 1810 – 1887) was an adviser to King Kalākaua of Hawaii. He had lived in San Francisco in the 1880s, working as a peddler and selling illegal lottery tickets. In 1886, he traveled to Hawaii and performed as a fortune-teller. Endearing himself to the king with favorable predictions, he received lavish gifts and was appointed as a kahuna-kilokilo (royal soothsayer), customs appraiser, and guard. Rosenberg and the king enjoyed talking and drinking together, but he was distrusted by other royal advisers and satirized in the Hawaiian press. He encouraged the king to revive the traditional Hawaiian religion, an idea that fascinated Kalākaua but angered political rivals. In 1887 Rosenberg returned to California; a month later, he was admitted to a hospital in San Francisco, where he died. In Hawaii, the 1887 Constitution—which curtailed royal power—was forced on Kalākaua. A Torah scroll presented to the king by Rosenberg was later exhibited with other royal treasures and eventually donated to Temple Emanu-El in Honolulu.

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

_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:

1910:

Aviator Eugene Burton Ely performed the first takeoff from a ship, flying from a makeshift deck on the USS Birmingham in Hampton Roads, Virginia, US. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eugene_Burton_Ely

1940:

Second World War: Coventry Cathedral and much of the city centre of Coventry, England, were destroyed by the German Luftwaffe during the Coventry Blitz. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coventry_Blitz

1975:

With the signing of the Madrid Accords, Spain agreed to withdraw its presence from the territory of Spanish Sahara. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madrid_Accords

1995:

As a result of budget conflicts between President Bill Clinton and the United States Congress led by Newt Gingrich, the federal government was forced to shut down non-essential services. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_federal_government_shutdowns_of_1995%E2%80%931996

2003:

Astronomers Michael E. Brown, Chad Trujillo, and David L. Rabinowitz discovered the trans-Neptunian object 90377 Sedna. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/90377_Sedna

_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:

calamondin: 1. A small decorative evergreen citrus tree, of the species Citrofortunella mitis, sometimes cultivated for its fruit. 2. The fruit of this tree. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/calamondin

___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:

The Democrats are the party that says government will make you smarter, taller, richer, and remove the crabgrass on your lawn. The Republicans are the party that says government doesn't work and then get elected and prove it.   --P. J. O'Rourke https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/P._J._O%27Rourke