served as U.S. Representative, Speaker of the House of Representatives,
U.S. Senator from Maine, and twice as Secretary of State. Blaine was
born in western Pennsylvania and moved to Maine where he became a
newspaper editor. Nicknamed "the Magnetic Man", he was a charismatic
speaker in an era that prized oratory. He began his political career as
an early supporter of Abraham Lincoln and the Union in the American
Civil War. In Reconstruction, Blaine was a supporter of black suffrage,
but opposed some of the more coercive measures of the Radical
Republicans. Initially a protectionist, he later worked for a reduction
in the tariff and an expansion of overseas trade. His efforts at
expanding US trade and influence began the shift to a more active
American foreign policy. Blaine was a pioneer of tariff reciprocity and
urged greater involvement in Latin American affairs. He was nominated
for President in 1884, but was narrowly defeated by Democrat Grover
Cleveland. Blaine was one of the late 19th century's leading Republicans
and champion of the moderate reformist faction of the party known as the
"Half-Breeds".
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_G._Blaine>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
321:
Emperor Constantine I decreed that Sunday, the day honoring the
sun god Sol Invictus (disc pictured), would be the Roman day of rest.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sol_Invictus>
1862:
American Civil War: Union forces engaged Confederate troops in
Pea Ridge, Arkansas, fighting to a victory one day later that
essentially cemented their control in Missouri.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Pea_Ridge>
1871:
José Paranhos, Viscount of Rio Branco, became Prime Minister
of the Empire of Brazil, starting a four-year rule, the longest in the
state's history.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Paranhos,_Viscount_of_Rio_Branco>
1968:
Vietnam War: The United States and South Vietnam began
Operation Truong Cong Dinh to sweep the area surrounding the Mekong
Delta town of My Tho to root out Viet Cong forces in the area.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Truong_Cong_Dinh>
2009:
The Kepler space observatory, designed to discover Earth-like
planets orbiting other stars, was launched.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kepler_(spacecraft)>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
phillumenist:
A person who collects match-related items, like matchbox labels,
matchboxes, matchbooks, or matchbook covers.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/phillumenist>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Reason in man is rather like God in the world.
--Thomas Aquinas
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Thomas_Aquinas>
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