In 1631 the Massachusetts Bay Colony bans the possession of cards, dice, and gaming tables. Seven years later they banished Anne Hutchinson for religious dissent. Ironically her descendants included three US Presidents -FDR, George Bush Sr, and George Bush Jr.
In 1794 the US tried to tamp down slavery with the Slave Trade Act banning the exporting of slaves from the US and the outfitting of ships for the purpose of importing slaves. It took a Civil War to eliminate it. But in 1873 the Spanish National Assembly abolished slavery in Puerto Rico, which would later become part of the US.
There were 3 sports events on this date: The first Stanley Cup (hockey) was held in, of course, Montreal. Charilaos Vasilakos won the first modern Olympic marathon race in 1896. And 14 yr old Tara Lipinski became the youngest female skater to win the World Figure Skating Championship in 1997, setting her up for her Olympic gold medal the next year in Nagano Japan.
In 2020 Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, both announced national lockdowns and curfews to combat the Covid-19 virus.
Three political figures graced the world stage for the first time on this date: Emilio Aguinaldo (1869) Filipino general and first Philippine president; Oregon governor Tom McCall (1913), and hard-right Utah Senator Orrin Hatch(1934). We welcomed a couple of odd pairs: both evangelist and TV preacher Pat Robertson, and director Stephen Sondheim in 1930. And journalist Wolf Blitzer and composer/director Andrew Lloyd Webber in 1948.
And Captain James Tiberius Kirk, aka William Shatner, began his voyage to the stars in 1931.
Those that passed this date included fire and brimstone preacher Jonathan Edwards in 1758, US Navy commander Stephen Decatur in 1820 and German novelist Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (Faust) in 1832.
And make sure to keep hydrated because it’s World Water Day
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