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>
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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>
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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>
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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>