FREE WHITEWATER

Daily Bread: July 8, 2008

Good morning, Whitewater

There are no public meetings scheduled in the city today.

The National Weather Service reports that there is about an even chance of thunderstorms, with a high in the mid 80s. The Farmers’ Almanac reports that there will be scattered showers today, with high temperatures. A near match.

In Wisconsin history on this day, an odd event from 1850 — a king. According to the Wisconsin Historical Society:

James Jesse Strang, leader of the estranged Mormon faction, the Strangites, was crowned king; the only man to achieve such a title in America….As he gained more followers (but never nearly as many as Brigham Young), Strang became comparable to a Saint, and in 1850 was crowned King James in a ceremony in which he wore a discarded red robe of a Shakespearean actor, and a metal crown studded with a cluster of stars as his followers sang him hosannas…. A number of followers lived in Walworth County, including Strang at a home in Burlington. In 1856 Strang was himself assassinated, leaving five wives. Without Strang’s leadership, his movement disintegrated.

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