Good morning.

We’ll have a colder day, with light snow, in the city today, at a high of eleven.

On this day in 1865, the House of Representatives approved a constitutional amendement to be sent to the states, and later to become the Thirteenth Amendment:

Washington, Tuesday, Jan. 31.

THE PASSAGE OF THE CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT

The great feature of the existing rebellion was the passage to-day by the House of Representatives of the resolutions submitting to the Legislatures of the several States an amendment to the Constitution abolishing slavery. It was an epoch in the history of the country, and will be remembered by the members of the House and spectators present as an event in their lives. At 3 o’clock, by general consent, all discussion having ceased, the preliminary votes to reconsider and second the demand for the previous question were agreed to by a vote of 113 yeas, to 58 nays; and amid profound silence the Speaker announced that the yeas and nays would be taken directly upon the pending proposition. During the call, when prominent Democrats voted aye, there was suppressed evidence of applause and gratification exhibited in the galleries, but it was evident that the great interest centered entirely upon the final result, and when the presiding officer announced that the resolution was agreed to by yeas 119, nays 56, the enthusiasm of all present, save a few disappointed politicians, knew no bounds, and for several moments the scene was grand and impressive beyond description. No attempt was made to suppress the applause which came from all sides, every one feeling that the occasion justified the fullest expression of approbation and joy.

This House vote forms the principal plot of Spielberg’s Lincoln. Here’s the international trailer for that film:

‘Lincoln’ – International Trailer from Angel Cabrera on Vimeo.

Google has a science and industry question for us: “Who founded the company named for the man who invented vulcanized rubber?”

Good morning.

It’s a snowy midweek for Whitewater, with about two to four inches expected, and temperatures falling in the afternoon from thirty-two to about twenty-three. The Weather Channel is increasingly dramatic about our weather, but there’s nothing surprising about snow, in the winter, in Wisconsin. It’s only the absence of snow that would be surprising.

On this day in 1948, a Hindu extremist murders Mahatma Gandhi:

Mohandas K. Gandhi was killed by as assassin’s bullet today. The assassin was a Hindu who fired three shots from a pistol at a range of three feet.

The 78-year-old Gandhi, who was the one person who held discordant elements together and kept some sort of unity in this turbulent land, was shot down at 5:15 P. M. as he was proceeding through the Biria House gardens to the pergola from which he was to deliver his daily prayer meeting message.

The assassin was immediately seized.

He later identified himself as Nathura Vinayak Godse, 36, a Hindu of the Mahratta tribes in Poona. This has been a center of resistance to Gandhi’s ideology.

Mr. Gandhi died twenty-five minutes later. His death left all India stunned and bewildered as to the direction that this newly independent nation would take without its “Mahatma” (Great Teacher).

Google-a-Day has a history question for today: “At the time of signing, what was the title of the man who is the first of the two names in the name of the 1901 treaty that nullified the Clayton-Bulwer Treaty?”

Good morning.

It’s a warm Tuesday of thunderstorms and sixty-degree temperatures ahead for Whitewater.

On this day in 1845, Edgar Allan Poe publishes The Raven:

Edgar Allan Poe’s famous poem “The Raven,” beginning “Once upon a midnight dreary,” is published on this day in the New York Evening Mirror.

Poe’s dark and macabre work reflected his own tumultuous and difficult life. Born in Boston in 1809, Poe was orphaned at age three and went to live with the family of a Richmond, Virginia, businessman. Poe enrolled in a military academy but was expelled for gambling. He later studied briefly at the University of Virginia.

In 1827, Poe self-published a collection of poems. Six years later, his short story “MS Found in a Bottle” won $50 in a story contest. He edited a series of literary journals, including the Southern Literary Messenger in Richmond starting in 1835, and Burton’s Gentleman’s Magazine in Philadelphia, starting in 1839. Poe’s excessive drinking got him fired from several positions. His macabre work, often portraying motiveless crimes and intolerable guilt that induces growing mania in his characters, was a significant influence on such European writers as Charles Baudelaire, Stephane Mallarme, and even Dostoyevsky.

Google-a-Day poses a question of literature and musicals: “Who scored the musical version of the movie that’s based on Patricia Resnick’s story?”

Good morning.

Monday in the Whippet City begins with drizzle and fog, and a high of forty-one.

This morning, Downtown Whitewater’s Design Committee meets at 8 AM. This evening, the open session of Whitewater’s School Board begins at 7 PM.

On this day in 1986, America suffered one of her most tragic space-faring disasters:

At 11:38 a.m. EST, on January 28, 1986, the space shuttle Challenger lifts off from Cape Canaveral, Florida, and Christa McAuliffe is on her way to becoming the first ordinary U.S. civilian to travel into space. McAuliffe, a 37-year-old high school social studies teacher from New Hampshire, won a competition that earned her a place among the seven-member crew of the Challenger. She underwent months of shuttle training but then, beginning January 23, was forced to wait six long days as the Challenger’s launch countdown was repeatedly delayed because of weather and technical problems. Finally, on January 28, the shuttle lifted off.

Seventy-three seconds later, hundreds on the ground, including Christa’s family, stared in disbelief as the shuttle exploded in a forking plume of smoke and fire. Millions more watched the wrenching tragedy unfold on live television. There were no survivors.

On 1.28.1959, the Packers made a wise choice:

1959 – Lombardi Named Packers Coach
On this date Vince Lombardi was named head coach of the Packers. He had been the offensive backfield coach of the New York Giants for the previous five seasons. Lombardi went on to coach the Packers for nine years, winning five NFL Championships and victories in Super Bowls I and II. [Source: Packers.com]

Google-a-Day asks a history and geography question: “What city, that became a capital in 1991, saw protesters gather to oppose the elimination of a fuel subsidy that doubled the cost of gasoline in their country?”