Good morning, Whitewater.
Our month ends with a high of thirty-nine and a probability of late-morning, early-afternoon showers. Sunrise is 7:09 and sunset 5:06, for 9h 57m 03s of daytime. The moon is a waning gibbous with 55.5% of its visible disk illuminated.
Here’s schedule of posts for the week ahead, with other posts possible (if there are changes to these scheduled posts I’ll explain why):
- Today: DB, evening post
- Monday: DB, weekly Music post, WHEN GREEN TURNS BROWN posts (there will be two), evening post
- Tuesday: DB, weekly Education post, evening post
- Wednesday: DB, weekly Film post, post on public records and the press, evening post
- Thursday: DB, a restaurant review (as reviews will begin again this week), evening post
- Friday: DB, weekly Poll, weekly Catblogging
- Saturday: DB, weekly Animation post, evening post
Friday’s FW poll asked whether a Patriots fan who got a tattoo in expectation of a New England win that will never come exhibited true dedication or unjustified optimism. Most respondents said that he had been unjustifiably optimistic, bur a fair number (29.41%) felt that Burke O’Connell showed true dedication.
On this day in 1865, the House of Representatives passes the Thirteenth Amendment for submission to the states:
In mid-January, 1865, Speaker of the House Schuyler Colfax estimated the amendment to be five votes short of passage. Ashley postponed the vote.[55] At this point, Lincoln intensified his push for the amendment, making direct emotional appeals to particular members of Congress.[56] On January 31, 1865, the House called another vote on the amendment, with neither side being certain of the outcome. Every Republican supported the measure, as well as 16 Democrats, almost all of them lame ducks. The amendment finally passed by a vote of 119 to 56,[57] narrowly reaching the required two-thirds majority.[58] The House exploded into celebration, with some members openly weeping.[59] Black onlookers, who had only been allowed to attend Congressional sessions since the previous year, cheered from the galleries.[60]
While under the Constitution, the President plays no formal role in the amendment process, the joint resolution was sent to Lincoln for his signature.[61] Under the usual signatures of the Speaker of the House and the President of the Senate, President Lincoln wrote the word “Approved” and added his signature to the joint resolution on February 1, 1865.[62] On February 7, Congress passed a resolution affirming that the Presidential signature was unnecessary.[63] The Thirteenth Amendment is the only ratified amendment signed by a President, although James Buchanan had signed the Corwin Amendment that the 36th Congress had adopted and sent to the states in March 1861.[64][65]
On this day in 1846, the territorial legislature charters Wisconsin’s first college:
1846 – Carroll College Chartered
On this date Carroll College, in Waukesha, was chartered by the territorial legislature. It is the oldest college in Wisconsin. The college was named for Charles Carroll, who signed the Declaration of Independence. [Source: History Just Ahead: A Guide to Wisconsin’s Historical Markers edited by Sarah Davis McBride]