The FReeper Foxhole Remembers The Whiskey Rebellion of 1794

The Whiskey Insurrection/Rebellion
Reasons for Dissension and the Insurrection
(Democracy or Aristocracy)

Picture, for the moment, the conditions here in southwestern Pennsylvania during the 1770's through the 90'S. The United States had been just born. Indian attacks such as the attack on Massy White and her children and the Russ massacre were common in western Pennsylvania. Local battles had been going on with the Indians with no support from the eastern peoples who also were busy with the British until the late 1770's and then had a government to put together. The Scott's/Irish background of many of the settler's may have led to their apparent lack of respect for authority. The Washington County Militia was involved in the massacre at Gnadenhutten and the burning of Schoenbrunn in March of 1782. The last official battle of the American Revolution didn't occur until September 13, 1782. This conflict pitted a company of British Rangers and 238 Indians against six settlers near the Dutch Fork region in Washington County, PA. The fact that the British and Indians withdrew is an example of the independent nature and fighting ability of the settlers of the area. Another skirmish the next day apparently involved only Indians and settlers with no British troops seen.

Tarring and Feathering by J. Howard Iams

While the country we know as the United States of America existed on paper, citizens of all states considered themselves part of their state first, and associated with their country second. When roll was called in the Continental Congress, the question was always, whether the state was at hand, not whether a particular person was present. State rights was considered a natural right by most, and people hesitated to surrender their state rights to a union of states because of the danger of giving the "control of the purse and sword" to the single group. Basically, it took a long while for the states to accept the fact that they were not separate countries. The eastern peoples were quicker to accept the ideas of states, "subservient to the country" than the people west of the mountains. Even in the East, the separatist ideas slowly came to an end after the Mount Vernon Compact in 1785 and the Constitutional Convention in 1787 The Shay's rebellion in western Massachusetts occurred from August 1786 to early 1787. Additional attempts to separate occurred in western N. Carolinain 1776 and late in the late 1780's in Kentucky.

Western Pennsylvania had a history of wanting to be separate. As early as 1775 the Transylvanians petitioned the Continental Congress to be recognized as the fourteenth colony. In 1776 the people in the region claimed by both Pennsylvania and Virginia, announced that they were the new state of Westsylvania. They said that "no country or people can be either rich, flourishing, happy or free . . . whilst annexed to or dependent on any province, whose seat of government is . . . four or five hundred miles distant, and separated by a vast, extensive and almost impassible tract of mountains . . ." With both states claiming this land, many peoples took advantage of the difficulty in enforcing state laws in this area until 1781 when Pennsylvania was given control. With this history, is it any wonder that unrest might occur here again in 1794?

Whiskey Rebellion, by an unknown artist (Metropolitan Museum of Art

In the East, the anti-constitutionalists attempted to minimize the powers of the state and people within the federal government. They proposed an "upper house" as a check upon the democratic assembly. This proposal was intensely resisted by the West. Alexander Hamilton was probably the strongest supporter of the trend towards aristocratic government. By early 1789 he was the treasurer of the U.S. and continually used all his influence to work toward a aristocracy. According to Hamilton, only the "well bred and rich" as he expressed it, were to be recognized in governmental circles. "Lower" people, as he called them, were to have little or no part in government and would be held in check by "coercion of laws and coercion of arms". Hamilton's party became known as the Federalists and attempted to install a more powerful federal government (aristocracy) as opposed to Thomas Jefferson's Antifederalist party which was pushing for state's rights.

Decisions made along the East Coast had little support or effect on the highly independent people west of the mountains. Crime was of little importance because of the attitude of the masses, and courts were few and far between. This independence, naturally, resulted in a political feeling of local power as opposed to federal power. The Democratic Society was strong west of the mountains and emphasized democracy and a strong local government, which they felt was guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution.

The separatist attitude of the states was slow to disappear. Even after the Constitutional Convention on May 14, 1787, while the bickering and competition between the states decreased somewhat, it was retained in the West. In addition, there was little loyalty between the eastern and western regions of Virginia and Pennsylvania.

On January 15, 1788, Lord Dorchester, the governor-general of Canada, (aware of the strong feelings against the East) sent his friend John Connolly (previously in charge of Ft. Pitt) to Western Pa. to talk to General John Neville, General Samuel Parsons and other Pittsburghers sympathetic to the British cause to determine the likelihood of the West separating from the East. He then sent a letter to Lord Sydney advising him to aid the West in separating from the Union. Among the names of the influential people considered sympathetic to the plan to separate the western areas from the rest of the Union was a General John Neville who later became an important individual against the whiskey rebellion. Active encouragement began in 1789 and 1790, but seemed not to be a key factor in the coming disagreement.

"Andrew McFarlane's house by J. Howard Iams.
McFarlanes brother James was killed during the Attack on Gen. Neville's house."

Indians, often led by the British still raided the areas west of the mountains. The Indian problem could no longer be ignored by the young country. They sent two major military expeditions against the eastern Indians. The first, in 1790, was led by General Josiah Harmer and the second, in 1791, was led by General Arthur St. Clair. Both expeditions were defeated by the Indians. To pay for the military activity against the Indians (on the our side of the mountains) and other things, it was decided to put an additional tariff on the sale of whiskey at the source. It wasn't until 1794 that General Anthony Wayne defeated the British at Fallen Timbers and the British actually withdrew from the region, giving up on any hope of claim to the areas west of the mountains. Had Wayne struck with the same success a year earlier when he was first ready, it is likely that the western people would have had more faith in the new government and the rebellion probably would not have occurred.

The 21 million dollars of expected income could then be used to support the military actions against the Indians. The locals, however, did not look at it this way. Previously, around 1790, the eastern rich (friends of Hamilton) bought western script which was nearly worthless. The government then purchased the script from everyone (the easterners had most of it by then) at face value. This cost the government 21 million dollars. Many westerners looked upon this as a method of having them pay for the script out of which they were cheated.

A serious problem existed when transporting goods by water down the Mississippi River to New Orleans and then over to the people on the East Coast. New Orleans was under Spanish control and they put a very heavy tax on goods passing through New Orleans. In 1790, P. Alaire urged the British to take an active role in opening the Mississippi to free navigation. He advised, "Open a free navigation of the Mississippi for the western inhabitants, and you bind that country and its inhabitants forever in spite of Congress, or all the world, for without the Mississippi, its fruitfulness is useless --." This problem was so severe that by March 1794 the British Ambassador to the United States said that two thousand militia had begun gathering in Kentucky in preparation of attacking New Orleans and freeing the navigation on the Mississippi. This, of course, was likely to start a war with the United States and Spain.

George Washington
Oil on canvas, by Gilbert Stuart (c. 1795-96); National Gallery of Art.

An additional slap in the face was the rich easterners buying land in western Pennsylvania and western Virginia even though it was already occupied and farmed. The settlers then either had to move or buy their land from the outsiders who may have never left their home in the East. This was permitted by the state of Pennsylvania as a means of producing funds and, at the urging of Hugh H. Brackenridge, a Pittsburgh attorney, and school roommate of attorney-general William Bradford, the state took steps to outlaw the secessionist activities assuring a continued flow of income.

The whiskey tariff, which is often incorrectly thought of as being the only cause of the coming disagreement, was seven cents a gallon (the price actually varied depending on the capacity of the still, not what was actually produced). If the settlers were able to sell the whiskey in Washington County, it would bring about twenty-five cents a gallon. Selling whiskey on the eastern side of the mountains would normally bring around fifty cents a gallon. By collecting the tax at the source instead of the point of sale, the western whiskey was taxed 28% while the eastern whiskey had a 14% tax. Collecting the tax based on the output of the still also meant that the farmers had to pay tax on the whiskey which they consumed themselves. The registration of stills had to occur in June at the one tax office per county. Washington County had no tax office due to the sentiment against the East and the whiskey tax. If one were to register the still, they would have to go to one of the neighboring counties to do so. Few Washingtonians registered because of the distances involved and the individualistic principles they espoused.

Trials of excise (whiskey) cases were not permitted to be held in the local counties. Instead, the trial was held in the Federal Court in Philadelphia. The time to go to Philadelphia, the costs involved in travel, lawyers and witnesses made the westerners feel that they were being picked on deliberately.

A meeting at Redstone Fort in July of 1791 began the organized resistance to the collection of the excise tax. The few attempts at enforcing the excise often resulted in humiliation and sometimes tarring and feathering.

One might say that the insurrection really began in mid August 1791 when a number of armed men painted as Indians were reported to be lurking in some bushes between Pittsburg (now Pittsburgh) and Washington, PA, in an attempt to waylay Neville, but the first tarring and feather actually occurred a month earlier.. By the summer of 1792 Captain Faulkner was tarred and feathered for trying to open a Washington county tax office. Alexander Hamilton, in spite of the wishes of the congress, set about forcing western farmers to come to Philadelphia for trial.

A confrontation between Marshall Lennox and Gen. Neville and William Miller and some friends occurred at William Miller's home in Allegheny County. At least one shot was fired by Miller's (Allegheny County) group during the visit by Neville (serving writs) but no one was injured. Alexander Hamilton claimed that the shots missed their targets but most historians assume that no one was aimed at. This same day the Mingo Creek Militia was gathered to fulfill a request for Indian fighters. Two groups of militiamen were selected to pursue the Marshall. They went to Neville's house on the assumption that Lennox had returned there with Neville. The next morning (July 16), thirty men approach Neville's home demanding an interview. Neville apparently turned and shot and killed Oliver Miller, the nephew of William Miller, and then blew a horn upon which his slaves opened fire from their quarters at the back of the crowd. The militia suffered a number of wounded and retreated to Couche's Fort for another meeting and to recruit more men.

On July 17 1794 with James McFarlane in command, around 500 met at Couche's fort and advanced on Bower Hill (Neville's home). The attack began after women and children were permitted to leave. According to legend, a white flag was thought to be seen in a window of Nelville's home or someone from the house called out for a truce. McFarlane ordered firing stopped, in the process exposing himself. A shot from the house killed James McFarlane. The attacking troops were outraged and burned the barn, home and several outbuildings after releasing the people in the house unharmed. The militia attacking Bower Hill thought that a Abraham Kirkpatrick, in command of the eleven soldiers protecting Bower Hill, had shot and killed McFarlane.

On July 18 or 19th at a meeting at Mingo Creek Meeting house, David Bradford, a successful attorney, businessman and Deputy Attorney General assumed leadership of the rebels (some claim he did so because he was blackmailed and "forced" to take an active role). Shortly there after occurred series of meetings at Bradford's home to consider the problem of the easterners knowing what was happening almost before it happened. As a result of these meetings, the mail from Pittsburg to Philadelphia was robbed on July 26th and taken to the Blackhorse Tavern in Canonsburg to be examined.

George Washington reviewing the troops in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania on October 3, 1794

Because of the knowledge gained from the mail, Bradford and his group sent a letter to the local militias requesting a gathering on Aug 1, 1794 on Braddock's field to begin a possible four day military excursion. Five to seven thousand troops gathered at Braddock's field, eight miles from Pittsburg, on the first. Brackenridge convinced leaders to warn Pittsburg to banish all obnoxious characters within eight days or face destruction The army marched through Pittsburg with no problems or damage done, in part, because the 379 residents of Pittsburg supplied the "invading army" with food and whiskey. The "army" crossed the Monongahela and torched Kirkpatrick's barn near Mt. Washington as they were leaving the city.

By August 7, 1794, George Washington began mobilizing 12,950 troops from eastern Pennsylvania, Virginia, Maryland, and New Jersey under Gen. Harry Lee, the Governor of Virginia and father of Robert E. Lee.

Amnesty was offered to those involved in the various acts of defiance by a presidential commission on August 21, 1794. The required number of signatures was not obtained, in part, because that many felt that by signing they would be admitting guilt. The terms required that the leaders openly declare their submission to the laws in general, and the excise law in particular. A member of the President's commission, by the name of General William Irvine, sent a note to Washington after examining the facts in western Pennsylvania in which he stated "I do not mean now either to condemn of justify the proceedings here, but I may safely venture to say, that people on the west of the mountains labor under hardships, if not grievances that are not known, or at least not understood, in other parts of the United States, in more instances than the excise; but in this particular it can be demonstrated that they labor under particular hardships, for instance, carrying a man to Philadelphia or York to be tried for crimes, real or supposed, or on litigations respecting property, perhaps under the value or forty shillings: THIS IS INTOLERABLE."

At the urging of Hamilton, George Washington determined that troops would be needed to put down the, so called, insurrection. The troops, largely from New Jersey, arrived in Carlisle Pennsylvania in late September 1794. Washington and his troops arrived in Bedford, Pennsylvania on October 19th. By early and mid November the "Watermelon Army" began rounding up suspects in western Pennsylvania. These people, suspects and witnesses together, many of the barefoot and lacking winter clothing, were then marched to Philadelphia to stand trial. David Bradford, one of the leaders of the insurrection, escaped and fled to a location near what is today called St. Francisville, LA (about one hundred miles from New Orleans) where he built Bradford's second home and moved his family. Most of the army began the trek home on November 19th with the suspects and their guards following six days later. It is often rumored that the remaining troops spent the winter on the campus of Washington Academy, now known as Washington and Jefferson College. The school closed down during this short time, in part, because a number of the students and the trustees of the college were known sympathizers with the rebels.

Secretary of State Edmund Randolf asked by President Washington to defend himself in relation to a letter from the French Minister to the French Government which analyzed the causes of the Whiskey Rebellion. The dispatch apparently implied that Randolf was the source of the information. Because the letter refereed to the repressive means that the U.S. Government was using to put down the rebellion and the referral to Washington as a puppet of Alexander Hamilton, George Washington was noticeable upset. Randolph was offended by the accusations and immediately resigned from his position (the letter may have been fairly truthful). These factors were reasons enough for the people of Western Pennsylvania to be unhappy with the new United States government. Because of their unwillingness to submit to the federalist principles of a strong central government, we may thank the independent people west of the mountains for our present day democratic society. Thomas Jefferson resigned his post of Secretary of State in 1793, in part, in protest because George Washington was agreeing too much with Hamilton and the Federalists. He may have been a fellow member of the Virginia House of Burgess with David Bradford of Washington and it is thought that this insurrection may have been strongly influenced by Jefferson and his friends.

MAJOR GENERAL HENRY ("LIGHT HORSE HARRY") LEE

Some feel that Alexander Hamilton caused the Whiskey Rebellion purposefully. At this point in time, while there were valid the reasons for his wanting an excuse to send federal troops to western Pa, whether or not he took the actions he did for the purpose of starting an insurrection would be hard to prove.

Some people today feel that David Bradford (with his opulent Washington, Pennsylvania house), after being blackmailed and forced to get involved in the dispute, may have gotten somewhat carried away with dissent. If it were not for Bradford and the other dissenters, helping to bring the state's right's/democracy issue to the attention of the easterners and lending support to Jefferson's position, the government of today might be the aristocratic monarchy that Hamilton and the Federalists tried so hard to install. Thankfully, the rebellion failed, almost before it began. It did publicize some of the problems the settlers were having with the government, gave the newly formed government a chance to flex its muscles and, in a sense, redefined the word treason to permit disagreement with the government without being considered treasonous.

Additional Sources:

www.whiskeyrebellion.org
www.yale.edu
earlyamerica.com
www.nps.gov
www.army.mil
www.wscottsmith.com
www.ngb.army.mil
www.ukans.edu
people.bu.edu

BY AUTHORITY

By the president of the United States of America

A PROCLAMATION

Whereas, combinations to defeat the execution of the laws laying duties upon spirits distilled within the United States and upon stills have from the time of the commencement of those laws existed in some of the western parts of Pennsylvania.

And whereas, the said combinations, proceeding in a manner subversive equally of the just authority of government and of the rights of individuals, have hitherto effected their dangerous and criminal purpose by the influence of certain irregular meetings whose proceedings have tended to encourage and uphold the spirit of opposition by misrepresentations of the laws calculated to render them odious; by endeavors to deter those who might be so disposed from accepting offices under them through fear of public resentment and of injury to person and property, and to compel those who had accepted such offices by actual violence to surrender or forbear the execution of them; by circulation vindictive menaces against all those who should otherwise, directly or indirectly, aid in the execution of the said laws, or who, yielding to the dictates of conscience and to a sense of obligation, should themselves comply therewith; by actually injuring and destroying the property of persons who were understood to have so complied; by inflicting cruel and humiliating punishments upon private citizens for no other cause than that of appearing to be the friends of the laws; by intercepting the public officers on the highways, abusing, assaulting, and otherwise ill treating them; by going into their houses in the night, gaining admittance by force, taking away their papers, and committing other outrages, employing for these unwarrantable purposes the agency of armed banditti disguised in such manner as for the most part to escape discovery;

And whereas, the endeavors of the legislature to obviate objections to the said laws by lowering the duties and by other alterations conducive to the convenience of those whom they immediately affect (though they have given satisfaction in other quarters), and the endeavors of the executive officers to conciliate a compliance with the laws by explanations, by forbearance, and even by particular accommodations founded on the suggestion of local considerations, have been disappointed of their effect by the machinations of persons whose industry to excite resistance has increased with every appearance of a disposition among the people to relax in their opposition and to acquiesce in the laws, insomuch that many persons in the said western parts of Pennsylvania have at length been hardy enough to perpetrate acts, which I am advised amount to treason, being overt acts of levying war against the United States, the said persons having on the 16th and 17th of July last past proceeded in arms (on the second day amounting to several hundreds) to the house of John Neville, inspector of the revenue for the fourth survey of the district of Pennsylvania; having repeatedly attacked the said house with the persons therein, wounding some of them; having seized David Lenox, marshal of the district of Pennsylvania, who previous thereto had been fired upon while in the execution of his duty by a party of armed men, detaining him for some time prisoner, till, for the preservation of his life and the obtaining of his liberty, he found it necessary to enter into stipulations to forbear the execution of certain official duties touching processes issuing out of a court of the United States; and having finally obliged the said inspector of the revenue and the said marshal from considerations of personal safety to fly from that part of the country, in order, by a circuitous route, to proceed to the seat of government, avowing as the motives of these outrageous proceedings an intention to prevent by force of arms the execution of the said laws, to oblige the said inspector of the revenue to renounce his said office, to withstand by open violence the lawful authority of the government of the United States, and to compel thereby an alteration in the measures of the legislature and a repeal of the laws aforesaid;

And whereas, by a law of the United States entitled "An act to provide for calling forth the militia to execute the laws of the Union, suppress insurrections, and repel invasions," it is enacted that whenever the laws of the United States shall be opposed or the execution thereof obstructed in any state by combinations too powerful to be suppressed by the ordinary course of judicial proceedings or by the powers vested in the marshals by that act, the same being notified by an associate justice or the district judge, it shall be lawful for the President of the United States to call forth the militia of such state to suppress such combinations and to cause the laws to be duly executed. And if the militia of a state, when such combinations may happen, shall refuse or be insufficient to suppress the same, it shall be lawful for the President, if the legislature of the United States shall not be in session, to call forth and employ such numbers of the militia of any other state or states most convenient thereto as may be necessary; and the use of the militia so to be called forth may be continued, if necessary, until the expiration of thirty days after the commencement of the of the ensuing session; Provided always, that, whenever it may be necessary in the judgment of the President to use the military force hereby directed to be called forth, the President shall forthwith, and previous thereto, by proclamation, command such insurgents to disperse and retire peaceably to their respective abodes within a limited time;

And whereas, James Wilson, an associate justice, on the 4th instant, by writing under his hand, did from evidence which had been laid before him notify to me that "in the counties of Washington and Allegany, in Pennsylvania, laws of the United States are opposed and the execution thereof obstructed by combinations too powerful to be suppressed by the ordinary course of judicial proceedings or by the powers vested in the marshal of that district";

And whereas, it is in my judgment necessary under the circumstances of the case to take measures for calling forth the militia in order to suppress the combinations aforesaid, and to cause the laws to be duly executed; and I have accordingly determined so to do, feeling the deepest regret for the occasion, but withal the most solemn conviction that the essential interests of the Union demand it, that the very existence of government and the fundamental principles of social order are materially involved in the issue, and that the patriotism and firmness of all good citizens are seriously called upon, as occasions may require, to aid in the effectual suppression of so fatal a spirit;

Therefore, and in pursuance of the proviso above recited, I. George Washington, President of the United States, do hereby command all persons, being insurgents, as aforesaid, and all others whom it may concern, on or before the 1st day of September next to disperse and retire peaceably to their respective abodes. And I do moreover warn all persons whomsoever against aiding, abetting, or comforting the perpetrators of the aforesaid treasonable acts; and do require all officers and other citizens, according to their respective duties and the laws of the land, to exert their utmost endeavors to prevent and suppress such dangerous proceedings.

In testimony whereof I have caused the seal of the United States of America to be affixed to these presents, and signed the same with my hand. Done at the city of Philadelphia the seventh day of August, one thousand seven hundred and ninety-four, and of the independence of the United States of America the nineteenth.

G. WASHINGTON,

By the President,

Edm. Randolph

--Source: Claypoole's Daily Advertiser, August 11, 1794

On This Day In History

Birthdates which occurred on May 11:
1568 Christian I ruler of Anhalt-Bernburg (Battle of White Mountain)
1654 Cornelis van Alkemade Dutch historian
1722 Peter Camper Leyden Holland, anatomist/professor (Amsterdam)
1731 Johann Gottfried Seyfert composer
1772 Henri-Jean Rigel composer
1791 Jan Vaclav Hugo Vorisek composer
1807 Ira Aldridge Great 19th century black Shakespearian actor (Othello)
1811 Chang & Eng Bunker Chinese Siamese twins
1821 [Carlos] Charles John Stolbrand Brigadier General (Union volunteers)
1823 Alfred Stevens Belgian painter
1830 John Converse Starkweather Brigadier General (Union volunteers)
1840 Filippo Capocci composer
1841 Ernst von Possart German actor/stage manager/reciter
1847 Godefroid Kurth Belgian historian (La cité de Liège au moyen âge)
1852 Charles Warren Fairbanks (R) 26th US Vice President (1905-09)
1854 John Blackham cricketer (Australia's 1st wicketkeeper)
1854 Ottmar Mergenthaler Hachtel Germany, inventor (linotype)
1855 Anatol Konstantinovich Lyadov Russian composer (Bewitched Lake)
1858 Carl Hauptmann writer
1869 Francisco Lacerda composer
1878 Mr Reyskens oldest male resident of Netherlands, ever
1881 Jan van Gilse composer/resistance fighter (Frau Helga von Staveren)
1881 Pascual Rogatis composer
1882 Joseph Marx Austrian composer/critic
1888 Irving Berlin [Isadore Balin] Temum Siberia, composer (White Xmas)
1888 P A J Losecaat Vermeer leader of Dutch High Council
1891 Henry Morgenthau Jr US Secretary of the Treasury (1934-45)
1892 Dame Margaret Rutherford Balham London England, actress (Murder Most Foul, Murder She Said, Arabella)
1894 Anton A Mussert Dutch Nazi leader (NSB)
1894 Florimond Cornellie Belgium, yachting (Olympics-gold-1920)
1894 Martha Graham Allegheny PA, choreographer (Appalachian Spring)
1895 Jan Parandowski writer
1895 Jiddu Krishnamurti India, spiritual philosopher (Songs of Life)
1895 William Grant Still Woodville MS, composer (Africao-American)
1896 Josip Slavenski composer
1896 Mari Sandoz Nebraska, author (Cheyenne Autumn)
1896 Philippo de Pisis Italian painter
1897 Izak W van der Merwe [Boerneef], South African writer (Tweetalige Woordeboek)
1902 Bidú Sayao Niteroi Brazil, soprano (Mimia-La Bohéme)
1902 Kaarlo Sarkia Finnish poet (Unen Kaivo)
1903 Charlie Gehringer Detroit Tigers' 2nd baseman (1924-42)
1904 Guus Weitzel Dutch radio-announcer
1904 Salvador Dali Figueras Spain, surrealist artist (Crucifixion)
1905 Marjorie Sykes peace campaigner
1907 Kent Taylor [Louis Weiss] Nashua IA, actor (Boston Blackie, Rough Riders)
1907 Rose Ausländer writer
1909 Herbert Murrill composer
1910 Jorge Croner de Vasconcelos composer
1911 Doodles Weaver Los Angeles CA, comedian (Spike Jones & City Slickers, Doodles Weaver)
1911 Edgar Beck president (John Mowlem)
1911 Roy James Alfred Kaulback soldier
1912 Foster Brooks Louisville KY, comedian/actor (Miles-Mork & Mindy)
1912 Phil Silvers Brooklyn NY, comedian (Sergeant Bilko-Phil Silvers Show)
1913 Clare Grundman composer
1913 Tutti Camarata Glen Ridge NJ, orchestra leader (Vic Damone Show)
1916 Camilo José Cela Spain, author (La Colmena-1951)
1917 Hon Montague Woodhouse Greek resistance organiser
1918 Richard P Feynman physicist (Feynman-diagrams/Nobel prize 1965)
1918 Robert Hunt CEO (Dowty Group)
1920 Beryl Bryden jazz singer
1920 Denver Pyle Bethune CO, actor (Dukes of Hazzard, Code 3, Tammy, Doris Day Show)
1921 Ian Percival QC/MP
1923 Joan Moriarty Brigadier matron-in-chief/director (Army Nursing Services)
1923 Lord Vincent Gordon "Gordy" Lindsay White English industrialist/multi-millionaire
1924 Antony Hewish radio astronomer
1924 Jackie Milburn English soccer star (Newcastle United)
1925 Rhodes Boyson MP
1926 Ernest Harrison CEO (Racal Electronics)
1926 Frank Thring Melbourne Australia, actor (El Cid, Ben-Hur)
1927 Justice Hollis
1927 Mort Sahl Montréal Canada, comedian/political satirist/beatnik (Big Party)
1927 Zilpha Keatly Snyder US, sci-fi author (Headless Cupid)
1928 Yaacov Agam Israeli sculptor
1929 Edward Anson British Vice-Admiral
1930 M J Hamlin Principal/Vice-Chancellor (Dundee University)
1930 Stanley L Elkin Brooklyn NY, writer/professor (The Living End)
1931 Stephen Smalley rev/dean (Chester)
1932 Henriette Santer clinical Psychologist
1932 Valentino [Garavani] Milan Italy, fashion designer
1933 Louis Farrakhan minister (black islam nation, million man march)
1934 James M Jeffords (Representative-R-VT, 1975- )
1935 Doug McClure Glendale CA, actor (Checkmate, Virginian, Roots)
1936 Ulrich Berkes writer
1937 David Allan cricketer (West Indian wicketkeeper 1962-66)
1938 Carla Bley [Carla Borg] Oakland CA, musician (Escalator Over the Hill)
1938 Harvey Sollberger Cedar Rapids IA, flutist/composer (2 Oboes Troping)
1939 Milt Pappas baseball pitcher
1940 Ronald Anthony Pellegrino composer
1941 Eric Burdon Walker-on-Tyne England, rock vocalist (Animals-House of the Rising Sun)
1941 Ian Redpath cricketer (dependable Australian opening batsman 1964-76)
1942 Rachel Billington British writer
1942 Terry McGovern Berkley CA, actor (Jim-Charlie & Company, Nine Months)
1943 Arnie Satin rocker
1943 George Edwards composer
1943 Les Chadwick Liverpool England, bassist (Gerry & the Pacemakers-Ferry Cross the Mersey)
1943 Nancy Greene Canada, giant slalom (Olympics-gold-1968)
1944 John Benaud cricketer (brother of Richie; Australian bat 1972-73)
1947 Claude "Butch" Hudson Trucks drummer (Allman Brothers)
1948 Alfred Matt Austria, slalom (Olympics-bronze-1968)
1949 Joâo Botelho Lamego Portugal, director (Trafico, Hard Times)
1950 Dane Iorg baseball player (Phillies, Cardinals)
1950 Jeremy Paxman broadcaster
1951 Mike Sleman rugby player
1952 Darrow Igus Newark NJ, comedian (Fridays, Roll Out)
1953 Boyd Gaines Atlanta GA, actor (Mark-One Day at a Time, Sure Thing)
1954 Edgar Riley Jr rocker (Axe K)
1954 Judith Weir composer
1955 Jos Haagmans Dutch singer (Frank Boeijen Group)
1955 Mark Herndon Springfield MA, drummer (Alabama-Take Me Down)
1957 Luca Urbani Rome Italy, MD/astronaut (STS 78-alternate)
1958 Peter Antonie Australian rower (Olympics-96)
1958 Walt Terrell baseball player
1959 Martha Quinn Albany NY, MTV VJ/actress (Tracey-Bradys)
1960 Jürgen Schult German Federal Republic, discus thrower (world record 1986)
1961 Cecile Licad Manila Philippines, pianist (Leventritt Award-1981)
1961 Diana Lee[-Hsu] Seattle WA, playmate (May 1988)
1962 Steve Bono NFL quarterback (Kansas City Chiefs, Green Bay Packers-Superbowl 31)
1963 Blair Piercy Vancouver British Columbia, Canadian Tour golfer (1992 Cordova Bay Open)
1963 Mark Breland Brooklyn NY, welterweight boxer (Olympics-gold-1984)
1963 Natasha Richardson London England, actress (Gothic, Handmaid's Tale)
1964 Bobby Witt Arlington VA, pitcher (Texas Rangers)
1964 Drew Story San Clemente CA, canoe (alternate-Olympics-96)
1964 Floyd Youmans baseball pitcher (Expos)
1964 Jeff Sellers baseball pitcher (Red Sox)
1964 John Parrott snooker player
1964 Katie Wagner daughter of Robert Wagner/model/guest VJ (MTV)
1966 Chris Mohr NFL punter (Buffalo Bills)
1966 Trenidad Hubbard Chicago IL, outfielder (Colorado Rockies)
1967 Eric Young New Brunswick NJ, infielder (Colorado Rockies)
1967 Jamie Brayshaw cricketer (son of Ian; Western Australia & South Africa right-handed batsman)
1967 Kenneth Gould Chicago IL, Welterweight boxer (Olympics-bronze-1988)
1969 Amy Legacki Terrytown NY, 10k runner
1970 Dean Capobianco Australian 200 meter/400 meter (Olympics-92, 96)
1970 Michael Joubert Australian 400 meter/800 meter (Olympics-96)
1971 Corey Fuller NFL cornerback (Minnesota Vikings)
1971 Yo Murphy WLAF receiver (Scottish Claymores)
1972 Andrew Bonhomme Melbourne Victoria, Australasia golfer
1972 Hicham El-Mashtoub NFL center (Houston Oilers)
1972 Stefen Reid CFL linebacker (Montréal Alouettes)
1973 Dean Pullar Cobram Victoria Australia, diver (Olympics-96)
1973 Michelle Venturella US softball infielder (Olympics-gold-96)
1973 Patrick Sapp NFL offensive linebacker (San Diego Chargers)
1974 Roger Juffing soccer player (Fortuna Sittard
1980 Matthew Lawrence Philadelphia PA, actor (Dynasty, Matthew-Brotherly Love)
1981 Austin O'Brien actor (Apollo 13, My Girl 2, Lawnmower Man)
1982 Jonathan Jackson Orlando FL, actor (Lucky-General Hospital)

Deaths which occurred on May 11:
1610 Matteo Ricci Italian missionary (China), dies
1631 Christoph Buel composer, dies at 57
1742 Francesco Stradivari Italian violin maker/son of Antonius, dies at 70
1772 Joseph Kerckhoff Limburg surgeon/robber captain, hanged
1778 William Pitt Sr English premier (1756-61, 66-68), dies at 69
1779 John Heart US farmer (signed Declaration of Independence), dies at about 68
1819 Caspar Furstenau composer, dies at 47
1845 Karoly Filtsch composer, dies at 14
1849 Carl Otto Ehrenfried Nicolai composer/conductor, dies at 38
1857 E François Vidocq French criminalogist/police officer, dies at 81
1871 John Herschel cataloguer of southern hemisphere stars, dies at 79
1881 Henri-Frédéric Amiel Swiss/French writer (Journal Intime), dies at 59
1885 Ferdinand Hiller German pianist/composer/conductor, dies at 73
1895 Feliks Jaronski composer, dies at 71
1907 John Albert Delany composer, dies at 54
1916 Karl Schwarzschild German astronomer (s-effect), dies
1916 Max [Johann] Reger German composer/pianist/organist, dies at 43
1917 Otto Adolf Klauwell composer, dies at 66
1920 William D Howells US author (A Woman's Reason), dies at 83
1927 General Henry Martyn Robert (Robert's Rules of Order), dies at 90
1927 Juan Gris Spanish cubist painter, dies at 40
1935 Edward H Thompson US archaeologist (Mayan civilization), dies at 78
1937 Viliam Figus composer, dies at 62
1938 Alfonsina Storni Argentine poet (El dulce daño/suicide), dies at 45
1938 Arnold Sauwen Flemish poet (Hours of Solitude), dies at 81
1944 Henk Hos resistance fighter, executed at 37
1947 Else JT Rangstrøm Swedish conductor/singer/composer/critic, dies at 62
1949 Adrianus de Kleyn throat/nose/otologist (ear doctor), dies at 65
1952 Giovanni Tebaldini composer, dies at 87
1953 Jean Adair dies at 80
1955 G L Jessop cricketer (match-winning batsman, brilliant field), dies
1956 Walter S Adams US astronomer/director of Mount Wilson, dies at 79
1960 John D Rockefeller Jr philanthropist, dies at 86
1965 Ludovicus H "Lode" Baekelmans Flemish playwright, dies at 86
1965 Roger Vailland French author, dies at 57
1973 Grigory M Kosinzev Russian director, dies
1976 Alvar Aalto architect (Finlandia House), dies at 78
1976 Camille Schmit composer, dies at 68
1976 J Anaya Bolivian military/ambassador to France, murdered
1978 John Clinge Doorenbos Dutch journalist/poet, dies at 93
1979 Joan Chandler dies at 55
1979 Lester Raymond Flatt musician (Flatt & Scruggs-Ballad of Jed Clampett), dies at 64
1981 Bob Marley reggae singer, dies of brain & lung cancer at 36
1981 Hoyt J Fuller editor (1st World magazine), dies at 57
1982 Leigh Snowden actress (Hot Rod Rumble), dies of cancer at 51
1982 Piet van Egmond organist/conductor, dies at 70
1983 Zenna [Chlarson] Henderson author (Anything Box), dies at 65
1985 Chester Gould cartoonist (Dick Tracy), dies at 84
1985 Garmt Stuiveling literatrary (Ego & Echo), dies at 77
1985 Jorja Curtright actress (Whistle Stop), dies of a heart attack
1985 Samuel Frith English co-founder of soccer team (Bradford City), dies
1988 H A R (Kim) Philby British double agent, dies
1991 Filip J Field dies at 67
1991 Ho Dam foreign minister North-Korea (1970-83), dies
1992 Carlos Herrera drink inventor (Margarita), dies at 90
1992 Elizabeth McDonald inventor (Spic & Span), dies at 98
1994 Alfred James Broomhall methodist Missionary, dies at 82
1994 Danny Overbea blues singer/guitarist, dies at 68
1994 Leonard Friedman violinist, dies at 63
1994 Lewis B Puller US writer (Pulitzer 1992), commits suicide at 48
1994 Timothy Carey dies of stroke at 64
1995 Arthur Lubin director (Francis The Talking Mule, Mr Ed), dies at 96
1995 David Avidan poet/writer, dies at 62
1995 William John Phillips actor (Nothing but a Man), dies at 80
1996 Bruce Boyce singer/teacher, dies at 85
1996 Joan Thirkettle journalist, dies at 48
1996 Malcolm MacEwen writer, dies at 84
1996 Nnamdi Azikiwe President of Nigeria (1963-66), dies
1996 Walter Hyatt Musician, dies at 46
1997 Brenda Carlin TV producer/wife of comedian George Carlin, dies at 57

Reported: MISSING in ACTION

1966 FENELEY FRANCIS J. CURTIS MI.

1966 VILLEPONTEAUX JAMES H. JR. CORDESVILLE SC.

1968 JIMENEZ JUAN M. SAN ANTONIO TX.
GROUND ATTACK POSS KIA

1969 DAUGHERTY LENARD E. THE ROCK GA.
03/27/73 RELEASED BY PRG, ALIVE IN 98

1969 HORIO THOMAS TERUO HONOLULU HI.
03/27/73 REL BY PRG, ALIVE IN 98

1969 JACQUEZ JUAN L. SANTA FE NM.
03/27/73 RELEASED BY PRG, ALIVE 98

1969 RYAN WILLIAM C. JR. BOGOTA NJ.

1972 ALLMOND BARRY K. FORT WORTH TX.
CACCF REMAINS RECOVERED DIED WHILE MISSING LISTED ON WALL NOT AS POW/MIA

1972 BLASSIE MICHAEL JOSEPH ST LOUIS MO.
"FROM ""UNKNOWN"" TO KNOWN 06/30/98"

1972 HASELTON JOHN HERBERT NEWPORT VT.
04/74 REMAINS RECOVERED

1972 KITTINGER JOSEPH W. JR. ORLANDO FL.
03/28/73 RELEASED BY DRV, ALIVE AND WELL 98

1972 PADGETT JAMES P. CEDAR KEY FL.
03/28/73 RELEASED BY DRV, ALIVE IN 98

1972 REICH WILLIAM J. CLINTON WI.
03/28/73 RELEASED BY DRV, ALIVE IN 98

1972 STROBRIDGE RODNEY L. TORRANCE CA.

1972 TALLEY WILLIAM H. SAYRE OK.
03/28/73 RELEASED BY DRV, ALIVE AND WELL IN 98

1972 WILLIAMS ROBERT J. DALEVILLE AL.

POW / MIA Data & Bios supplied by
the P.O.W. NETWORK. Skidmore, MO. USA.

On this day...
1189 Emperor Frederik I Barbarossa & 100,000 crusaders depart Regensburg
1330 Constantinople (Istanbul) becomes new capital by Roman Emperor Constantine for Eastern Roman Empire
1421 Jews are expelled from Styria Austria
1502 Columbus begins 4th & last trip to "Indies"
1548 Great fire in Brielle
1625 Boers besiege Frankenburg estate in Upper-Austria
1674 Netherlands & Cologne sign peace treaty
1678 French Admiral Jean d'Estrées' fleet runs aground on Aves-islands, Curaçao
1689 Battle of Bantry Bay, French & English naval battle
1690 English troops of W Phips conquer Port Royal Nova Scotia
1745 Battle of Fontenoy (Doornik): Austrian Succession war
1749 British parliament accept Consolidation Act: fleet reorganization
1751 1st US hospital founded (Pennsylvania Hospital)
1752 1st US fire insurance policy issued (Philadelphia)
1772 Amsterdam theater destroyed by fire, 18 killed
1784 England & Tippu Sahib van Mysore sign peace treaty
1792 Columbia River discovered & named by US Captain Robert Gray
1812 Waltz introduced into English ballrooms - Most observers consider it disgusting & immoral. No wonder it caught on!
1814 Americans defeat British at Battle of Plattsburgh
1816 American Bible Society forms (New York)
1818 Cincinnati Reds Hod Eller no-hits St Louis Cardinals, 6-0
1833 "Lady-of-the-Lake" strikes iceberg & sinks in N Atlantic; kills 215
1850 Work starts on 1st brick building in San Fransisco
1858 Minnesota admitted as 32nd US state
1862 Confederates scuttle CSS Virginia off Norfolk VA
1864 General J E B Stuart is mortally wounded in Battle of Yellow Tavern VA (Sheridan's Raid, South Anna Bridge)
1865 Jeff Thompson surrenders
1867 Treaty of London drawn, concerning Luxembourg
1875 George "Charmer" Zettlein pitches the 1st 9 inning shutout
1881 Bedrich Smetana's opera "Libusa" premieres in Prague
1887 13th Kentucky Derby: Isaac Lewis aboard Montrose wins in 2:39¼
1888 16th Preakness: F Littlefield aboard Refund wins in 2:49
1892 18th Kentucky Derby: Lonnie Clayton aboard Azra wins in 2:41½
1893 Henri Desgrange establishes 1st bicycle-world record (35.325 km)
1894 American RR Union strikes Pullman Sleeping Car Co
1897 Washington Senator catcher Charlie Farrell throws out 8 attempted stealers
1900 James J Jeffries KOs James J Corbett in 23 for heavyweight boxing title
1904 Andrew Carnegie donates $1.5 million to build a peace palace
1907 Bank of San Fransisco incorporated
1910 Montana's Glacier National Park forms
1912 38th Kentucky Derby: Carol H Shilling aboard Worth wins in 2:09.4
1916 Einstein's Theory of General Relativity presented
1917 Britain grants Royal Letters Patent to New Zealand
1918 44th Kentucky Derby: William Knapp on Exterminator wins in 2:10.8
1919 Yankees' Jack Quinn & Senators' Walter Johnson, 12 inning 0-0 tie
1921 Tel Aviv is 1st all Jewish municipality
1923 10 homeruns hit in Phillies 20-14 victory over St Louis Cardinals
1924 Cartel des Gauches wins French parliamentary election
1924 Pulitzer Prize awarded to Robert Frost (New Hampshire)
1925 Communist Party of Holland splits
1925 Kara-Kalpak Autonomous Region constituted in RSFSR
1926 Airship Norge leaves Spitsbergen for 1st air crossing of Arctic Ocean
1927 Belgium beats England 9-1 in soccer
1927 Louis B Mayer forms Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences
1928 56th Preakness: Raymond Sonny Workman aboard Victorian wins in 2:00.2
1928 63rd British Golf Open: Walter Hagen shoots a 292 at Royal St George's
1928 General Electric opens 1st TV-station (Schenectady NY)
1929 1st regularly scheduled TV broadcasts (3 nights per week)
1929 Dr Annie Webb Blanton forms Delta Kappa Gamma Society in Austin TX
1931 Credit-Anstalt, Austria's largest bank, fails beginning financial collapse of Central Europe
1935 61st Preakness: Willie Saunders aboard Omaha wins in 1:58.4
1940 66th Preakness: Fred A Smith aboard Bimelech wins in 1:58.6
1940 New York World's Fair reopens
1941 1st Messerschmidt 109F shot down above England
1942 Japanese troops conquer Kalewa
1943 Hermann Goering-division in Tunisia surrenders
1943 US 7th division lands on Attu, Aleutian, (1st US territory recaptured)
1944 Opposition group surprise attack post office washer
1944 Slomp Resistance fighter (Frits de Zwerver) freed from Arnhem prison
1945 US marines conquer Awatsha Draw Okinawa
1946 1st night game at Boston Braves Field (Giants 5, Braves 1)
1946 72nd Preakness: Warren Mehrtens aboard Assault wins in 2:01.4
1947 BF Goodrich manufactures 1st tubeless tire, Akron OH
1947 Laos accepts constitution for parliamentary democracy
1948 Haganah takes control of Safed & port of Haifa
1948 Luigi Einaudi elected President of Italy
1949 1st Polaroid camera sold $89.95 (NYC)
1949 By a vote of 37-12, Israel becomes 59th member of UN
1949 Siam renames itself Thailand
1950 Belgium mine disaster at Borinage, 39 die
1950 Eugène Ionesco's "La Cantatrice Chauve" premieres in Paris France
1951 Jay Forrester patents computer core memory
1953 Tornado kills 114 in Waco TX ($39 million damage)
1953 Winston Churchill criticizes John Foster Dulles domino theory
1955 Israel attacks Gaza
1956 Pinky Lee Show, last airs on NBC-TV
1957 Gabriel Paris forms Government of Colombia
1958 Beverly Hanson wins LPGA Lawton Golf Open
1958 US performs atmospheric nuclear test at Bikini Island
1958 US performs atmospheric nuclear test at Enwetak
1959 "Kookie, Kookie Lend Me Your Comb" by Byrnes & Connie Stevens hits #4
1959 Elvis Presley's 1st entry on UK charts with "Heartbreak Hotel"
1959 Rodgers & Barer's musical "Once Upon a Mattress" premieres in NYC
1959 Yankee catcher Yogi Berra's errorless streak of 148 games ends
1960 French liner "France" launched
1960 Israeli soldiers capture Adolf Eichmann in Buenos Aires
1962 Antonio Segni becomes President of Italy
1962 US performs atmospheric nuclear test at Christmas Island
1962 US sends troops to Thailand
1963 "Puff (The Magic Dragon)" by Peter, Paul & Mary hits #2
1963 Los Angeles Dodger Sandy Koufax 2nd no-hitter beats New York Giants, 8-0
1963 Racial bomb attacks in Birmingham AL
1965 "Flora, the Red Menace" opens at Alvin Theater NYC for 87 performances
1965 1st of 2 cyclones in less than a month kills 35,000 (India)
1965 Ellis Island added to Statue of Liberty National monument
1965 USSR performs nuclear test at Eastern Kazakhstan/Semipalitinsk USSR
1965 West Indies becomes 1st holders of the Frank Worrell Cricket Trophy
1966 Real Madrid wins 11th Europe Cup I
1967 "Sing, Israel Sing" opens at Brooks Atkinson Theater NYC for 14 performances
1967 100,000,000th US phone connected
1967 Great Britain, Ireland & Denmark apply for EG membership
1968 Richard Harris releases "MacArthur Park"
1968 Stanley Cup: Montréal Canadiens sweep St Louis Blues in 4 games
1968 Students & police battle in Paris, 100s injured
1969 Carol Mann wins LPGA Dallas Civitan Golf Open
1969 Monty Python comedy troupe forms
1970 Sammy Davis Jr weds Altovise
1971 Cleveland's Steve Dunning becomes last American League pitcher to hit grand slam
1972 John Lennon says his phone is tapped by the FBI on Dick Cavett Show
1972 San Francisco Giants trade Willie Mays to New York Mets for pitcher Charlie Williams & cash
1972 Stanley Cup: Boston Bruins beat New York Rangers, 4 games to 2
1972 US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site
1973 Dutch Government of Uyl forms
1974 "Bad, Bad Leroy Brown" by Frank Sinatra hits #83
1974 "Tubular Bells" by Mike Oldfield hits #7
1974 Steely Dan releases "Rikki Don't Lose that Number"
1975 Donna Caponi Young wins LPGA Lady Tara Golf Classic
1975 Flyers 1-Isles 2-Semifinals-Series tied at 3 games
1975 Israel signs an agreement with European Economic Market
1976 Emmy 3rd Daytime Award presentation
1976 Last broadcast of "Marcus Welby, MD" on ABC-TV
1977 Hamburger SV wins 17th soccer Europe Cup II
1977 Ted Turner manages an Atlanta Braves game
1978 Margaret A Brewer is 1st female general in the US Marine Corps
1980 Pam Higgins wins LPGA Lady Michelob Golf Tournament
1980 Pete Rose, 39, steals second, third, & home in one inning for Phillies
1981 Andrew Lloyd Webber/TS Eliot's musical "Cats" premieres in London
1981 Kim Carnes' "Bette Davis Eyes" hits #1, stay there 9 weeks
1983 "Dance a Little Closer" opens & closes at Minskoff Theater NYC
1983 Aberdeen wins 23rd Europe Cup II
1983 Comet C/1983 H1 (IRAS-Araki-Alcock) approaches 0.0312 astronomical units (AUs) of Earth
1984 Johan Cruijff quits soccer
1984 Tigers set best 30 game start record (26-4)
1984 Transit of Earth as seen on Mars
1985 40 die & 150 injured in fire at Bradford City football ground
1985 Booby trap bomb kills 86 people in India
1985 Dave Concepcion becomes 4th Cincinnati Red teammate to get 2,000 hits, the others include Pete Rose, Tony Perez & Cesar Cedeno
1985 Madonna's "Crazy For You" single goes #1
1985 Pope John Paul II arrives in Netherlands
1986 Muffin Spencer-Devlin wins LPGA United Virginia Bank Golf Classic
1987 1st heart-lung transplant take place (Baltimore)
1987 Corazon Aquino is elected President in the Philippines
1988 France performs nuclear test
1988 KV Mechelen wins 28th Europe Cup II
1988 Mario Andretti records fastest Indianapolis 500 lap (221.565 mph)
1989 217th & final episode of "Dynasty" is aired
1989 France performs nuclear test at Muruora Island
1989 Kenya announces worldwide ban on ivory to preserve its elephant herds
1989 President Bush orders nearly 2,000 troops to Panamá
1990 New York Yankees trade Dave Winfield to Angels for Mike Witt
1993 28th Academy of Country Music Awards: Garth Brooks wins
1993 Paramaribo Suriname TV studio destroyed by fire
1994 "Grease" opens at Eugene O' Neill Theater NYC for 1,503 performances
1994 "Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insult" released in France
1994 6 white racists sentenced to death in South Africa
1994 Inter Milan wins 23rd UEFA Cup
1996 Florida Marlin Al Leiter no hits Colorado Rockies, 11-0
1996 Valujet DC-9 crashes in Miami, 109 die
1997 "Play On!" closes at Brooks Atkinson Theater NYC after 61 performances
1997 New York Mets C Everett & Butch Huskey are 9th to hit consecutive pinch HRs
1997 Paine Webber Senior Golf Invitational
1997 Sara Lee LPGA Classic
1997 Scott McCarron wins Bellsouth Golf Classic
1997 Terry-Jo Myers wins LPGA Sara Lee Classic

Holidays
Note: Some Holidays are only applicable on a given "day of the week"

Ancient Rome : Lemuria; a. d. v Id. Maias
Laos : Constitution Day (1947)
Minnesota : Admission Day (1858)
World : International Mother's Day
US : Mother's Day, give her a call today - - - - - ( Sunday )
Ireland : Feis Ceoil music festival (1897) - - - - - ( Monday )
US : Native American/Indian Day - - - - - ( Saturday )

Religious Observances
Roman Catholic : Commemoration of SS Philip & James the Less, apostles

Religious History
1621 Death of Johann Arndt, 65, German Lutheran theologian. Called the precursor of Pietism, Arndt was the greatest name in the history of German mysticism after Thomas a Kempis.
1682 The General Court of Massachusetts repealed two laws which had been passed two years earlier: one forbade the keeping of Christmas, and the second mandated capital punishment for Quakers who returned to the colony after being banished.
1824 St. Regis Seminary was opened in Florissant, Missouri. It was the first Roman Catholic institution established in America for the higher education of American Indians.
1825 The American Tract Society, the first national tract league in America, was formed in NY City by the merger of 50 smaller societies.
1888 The Woman's Missionary Union, Auxiliary to the Southern Baptist Convention, had its inception in Richmond, Virginia, when delegates from 15 states met to form a general women's organization within the denomination.

Thought for the day :
" Ignorance is the mother of superstition. "

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