Good morning.

The week begins with an even chance of showers and a high of sixty-three.

At 5 PM this afternoon, Whitewater’s Parks & Rec Board meets.

On this day in 1776, Gen. Washington arrived at the banks of the Delaware River:

In a letter dated December 3, 1776, General George Washington writes to Congress from his headquarters in Trenton, New Jersey, to report that he had transported much of the Continental Army’s stores and baggage across the Delaware River to Pennsylvania.

In his letter Washington wrote, ‘Immediately on my arrival here, I ordered the removal of all the military and other stores and baggage over the Delaware, a great quantity are already got over, and as soon as the boats come up from Philadelphia, we shall load them, by which means I hope to have every thing secured this night and tomorrow if we are not disturbed.’

CNN has the story of a dog who’s a toddler’s best friend:

In 1947, a first for Wisconsin:

1947 – First TV Station in Wisconsin Established
On this date the first TV station in Wisconsin, WTMJ-TV in Milwaukee, was established. The seventeenth television station in the country, WTMJ-TV was the first in the Midwest. [Source: University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee Libraries]

Google’s Monday question is on geography: “The Canal Street Ferry will take you over to Algiers Point. Since when has this ferry been in service?”

Good morning.

Whitewater’s Sunday looks to be cloudy with gradual clearing, and a high of fifty-four. We’ll have 9h 14m of sunlight, and 10h 17m of daylight. Tomorrow will be one minute shorter/.

On this day in 1954, the U.S. Senate voted to censure Wisconsin Senator Joe McCarthy. Here’s how the New York Times reported McCarthy’s politically fatal day:

Washington, Dec 2–The Senate voted 67 to 22 tonight to condemn Joseph R. McCarthy, Republican Senator from Wisconsin.

Every one of the forty-four Democrats present voted against Mr. McCarthy. The Republicans were evenly divided–twenty-two for condemnation and twenty-two against. The one independent, Senator Wayne Morse of Oregon, also voted against Mr. McCarthy.

In the ultimate action the Senate voted to condemn Senator McCarthy for contempt of a Senate Elections subcommittee that investigated his conduct and financial affairs, for abuse of its members, and for his insults to the Senate itself during the censure proceeding.

Google’s puzzle for today brings a geography puzzle: “What “autonomous region” includes nine major islands and an islet cluster, in three main groups?”

Good morning.

It’s an even chance of Saturday rain for Whitewater, with a high of fifty-two.

On this day in 1824, Congress decides the outcome of a presidential election:

….Congress acts to decide a presidential election for the first time in history, giving the presidency to John Quincy Adams. A clause in the Constitution’s 12th Amendment puts the power of deciding an election in the hands of Congress if no candidate receives a majority of the Electoral College votes….

On Election Day, Adams and Jackson led the pack in electoral votes, but Clay and Crawford had garnered enough votes to prevent either from winning a majority. Adams received 84 electoral votes; Jackson won 99. By the terms of the 12th Amendment, Congress was tasked with deciding between the two candidates, who could not have been more different in style or policy. Adams, described by his opponents as a cold, calculating Yankee elitist contrasted with Jackson, who was portrayed (not inaccurately) as hot-headed and hell-bent on destroying federal institutions (such as the National Bank) that George Washington and the Federalists had worked hard to establish.

In the end, Speaker Clay used his influence to convince fellow lawmakers to cast their vote for Adams and he emerged victorious. Not surprisingly, Adams chose Henry Clay to be his secretary of state, an act that enraged Jackson and helped to unite what had been a fragmented Democratic Party. In the election of 1828, Jackson easily beat the incumbent Adams, and went on to serve until 1837.

On 12.1.1884, a fire changed life (temporarily) for students at UW-Madison:

1884 – Fire Destroys UW Building
On this date fire destroyed Science Hall on the UW-Madison campus. As a result, engineering students were forced to use the cramped space of the former dormitory, North Hall, for the next four semesters. [Source: College of Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Madison]

From Google’s daily puzzle, a question of bio-science: “What animal uses several layers of chromataphores to change its color based on its emotional state?”