Good morning.

The week ends with a mostly sunny day and a high of forty-eight. We’ll get 12h 55m of sunlight, 13h 53m of daylight, north winds at 5 MPH, and a waning crescent moon.

On this day in 1774, Benjamin Franklin writes a satirical letter to Britain’s prime minister:

…Benjamin Franklin writes an open letter to Great Britain’s prime minister, Frederick, Lord North, from the Smyrna Coffee House in London. It was published in The Public Advertiser, a British newspaper, on April 15, 1774.

Franklin’s tongue-in-cheek letter suggested that the British impose martial law upon the colonies and appoint a “King’s Viceroy of all North America.” Franklin satirically went on to suggest that such centralized power over “Yankee Doodles,” who had “degenerated to such a Degree” from their British ancestors, “that one born in Britain is equal to twenty Americans,” would allow the crown to collect its taxes, then sell their impoverished colonies and colonists to Spain.

Smyrna Coffee House on St. James Street in London had been a meeting place of Whigs, or political liberals, since the 17th century. For Franklin to sign a letter drafted at Smyrna’s “A Friend of Military Government” was an obvious use of irony. The details of his purported plan for a military government, including the exclusive use of military courts in colonies known for their commitment to trial by jury, and “One Hundred to a Thousand Lashes in a frosty Morning” for offenders made Franklin s disdain for Lord North and his heavy-handed tactics clear.

In fact, Franklin’s letter proved prophetic when Lord North imposed martial law on Massachusetts the next month with the passage of the Massachusetts Government Act. General Thomas Gage received the appointment to institute the military government as the colony’s royal governor. Franklin had snidely suggested in his treatise, “that great Commander G—–l G—-e” could take but a few men and “so intimidate the Americans that the General might march through the whole Continent of North America, and would have little else to do but to accept of the Submission of several Towns as he passed.”

On 4.5.1860, a challenge to a duel:

1860 – Wisconsin Congressman Challenged to Duel
On this date, with the threat of civil war hanging in the air, John F. Potter, a Wisconsin representative in Congress, was challenged to a duel by Virginia representative Roger Pryor. Potter, a Northern Republican, had become a target of Southerners during heated debates over slavery. After one exchange, Pryor challenged Potter to a duel and Potter, as the one challenged, specified that bowie knives be used at a distance of four feet. Pryor refused and Potter became famous in the anti-slavery movement. Two years later, when Republicans convened in Chicago, Potter was given a seven foot blade as blade as a tribute; the knife hung with pride during all the sessions of the convention.  Before his death, Potter remembered the duel and proclaimed, “I felt it was a national matter – not any private quarrel – and I was willing to make sacrifices.” [Source: Badger Saints and Sinners, by Fred L. Holmes]

Here’s the Google-a-Day trivia question: “The 2010 tennis match that lasted 11 hours and 5 minutes beat the previous record for the longest match by how many hours?”

Good morning.

Thursday brings a true spring day to Whitewater: sunny with a high of fifty-six.

Common Council meets tonight at 6:30 PM.

On this day in 1968, civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr., 39, was shot to death in Memphis, Tenn.

On this day in 1865, Wisconsin regiments pressed on against Robert E. Lee:

1865 – (Civil War) Confederate leaders reach Amelia Court House, Virginia
The 5th, 6th, 7th, 19th, 36th, 37th and 38th Wisconsin Infantry regiments were among the troops pursuing Confederate General Robert E. Lee across Virginia after the fall of Richmond. On this day the two sides reached the town of Amelia Court House, but the Confederates withdrew before a battle began.

Google-a-Day asks a geography question: “What U.S. peninsula, explored by Captain Cook, experienced a tidal wave that destroyed its main port?”

Good morning.

Midweek in Whitewater will be sunny with a high of forty-four.

The Whitewater Tourism Council meets this morning at 9 AM.

On this day in 1860, it’s the debut of the Pony Express:

…the first Pony Express mail, traveling by horse and rider relay teams, simultaneously leaves St. Joseph, Missouri, and Sacramento, California. Ten days later, on April 13, the westbound rider and mail packet completed the approximately 1,800-mile journey and arrived in Sacramento, beating the eastbound packet’s arrival in St. Joseph by two days and setting a new standard for speedy mail delivery. Although ultimately short-lived and unprofitable, the Pony Express captivated America’s imagination and helped win federal aid for a more economical overland postal system. It also contributed to the economy of the towns on its route and served the mail-service needs of the American West in the days before the telegraph or an efficient transcontinental railroad.

On 4.3.1865, Wisconsin soldiers helped capture Richmond:

When Petersburg, Virginia, fell on the night of April 2, 1865, Confederate leaders hastily abandoned Richmond. The 5th, 6th, 7th, 19th, 36th, 37th and 38th Wisconsin Infantry participated in the occupation of Petersburg and Richmond. The brigade containing the 19th Wisconsin Infantry was the first to enter Richmond on the morning of April 3rd. Their regimental flag became the first to fly over the captured capital of the Confederacy when Colonel Samuel Vaughn planted it on Richmond City Hall.

Google-a-Day asks a history question: “What major English constitutional document, sent to Charles I, set specific liberties that the king could not infringe upon?”

Good morning.

It’s a sunny election day for Whitewater, with a high of forty degrees, northwest winds 5 to 15 MPH, and a waning gibbous moon.

Whitewater’s Landmarks Commission Meets tonight at 6 PM.

On this day in 1917, Pres. Wilson asked Congress for a declaration of war against Imperial Germany, insisting that “the world must be made safe for democracy.” We’re still waiting.

Google’s search page presents a doodle in honor of Maria Sibylla Merian, a naturalist and illustrator, born this day in 1647 Frankfurt.

For trivia today, Google-a-Day asks, “What was the first name of the mother who, according to biographer Giorgio Vasari, sat for DaVinci’s 31 x 21 inch portrait?”

Good morning.

A new month begins with mostly sunny skies and a high of thirty-eight.

It’s April 1st, and Google proudly claims they’ve a new product: Google Nose.

Not bad, not bad at all…

Around 1700, Aprils Fools’ Day traditions grow in popularity:

On this day in 1700, English pranksters begin popularizing the annual tradition of April Fools’ Day by playing practical jokes on each other.

Although the day, also called All Fools’ Day, has been celebrated for several centuries by different cultures, its exact origins remain a mystery. Some historians speculate that April Fools’ Day dates back to 1582, when France switched from the Julian calendar to the Gregorian calendar, as called for by the Council of Trent in 1563. People who were slow to get the news or failed to recognize that the start of the new year had moved to January 1 and continued to celebrate it during the last week of March through April 1 became the butt of jokes and hoaxes. These included having paper fish placed on their backs and being referred to as “poisson d’avril” (April fish), said to symbolize a young, easily caught fish and a gullible person.

Historians have also linked April Fools’ Day to ancient festivals such as Hilaria, which was celebrated in Rome at the end of March and involved people dressing up in disguises. There’s also speculation that April Fools’ Day was tied to the vernal equinox, or first day of spring in the Northern Hemisphere, when Mother Nature fooled people with changing, unpredictable weather.