Good morning.

Sunday will be a day of decreasing clouds, a high of forty-nine, and northwest winds from 5 to 10 MPH.

On this day in 1774, Wisconsinites all became a bit more French:

1774 – Wisconsin Becomes Part of Quebec

On this date Britain passed the Quebec Act, making Wisconsin part of the province of Quebec. Enacted by George III, the act restored the French form of civil law to the region. The Thirteen Colonies considered the Quebec Act as one of the “Intolerable Acts,” as it nullified Western claims of the coast colonies by extending the boundaries of the province of Quebec to the Ohio River on the south and to the Mississippi River on the west. [Source: Avalon Project at the Yale Law School]

Puzzle-lovers will enjoy the Smithsonian’s Great American History Puzzle:

George Washington’s spies used invisible ink during the Revolution. Abraham Lincoln’s young cryptanalysts cracked the Confederacy’s “Vicksburg Square” cipher during the Civil War. The United States entered World War I after Britain decoded an encrypted message from the Germans inviting Mexico to wage war on America—the so-called “Zimmermann Telegram.” In World War II, the Marines’ Navajo “code-talkers” were crucial to victories in the Pacific theater.

Because puzzle-solvers and code breakers have long been heroes of American history, we present the Smithsonian Great American History Puzzle. The puzzle is a month-long contest conceived by the puzzle master and “Jeopardy!” champion Ken Jennings. The first person to correctly follow all the clues, avoid all the red herrings and uncover all the secrets will win the grand prize: a free trip to Washington, D.C. and a “Secrets of the Smithsonian” tour (created by Smithsonian Journeys and valued at $10,000) behind the scenes of the world’s largest museum and research complex.

Good morning.

Saturday in Whitewater will be mostly sunny and windy, with a high of sixty-three.

On this day in 1866, America saw the first robbery of a moving train:

On this day in 1866, the Reno gang carries out the first robbery of a moving train in the U.S., making off with over $10,000 from an Ohio & Mississippi train in Jackson County, Indiana. Prior to this innovation in crime, holdups had taken place only on trains sitting at stations or freight yards….

As for the Reno gang, which consisted of the four Reno brothers and their associates, their reign came to an end in 1868 when they all were finally captured after committing a series of train robberies and other criminal offenses. In December of that year, a mob stormed the Indiana jail where the bandits were being held and meted out vigilante justice, hanging brothers Frank, Simeon and William Reno (their brother John had been caught earlier and was already serving time in a different prison) and fellow gang member Charlie Anderson.

In Wisconsin history, in 1917 Sen. La Follette delivered a Senate-floor defense of free speech:

1917 – Robert La Follette Supports Free Speech in Wartime
On this date Senator Robert La Follette gave what may have been the most famous speech of his Senate career when he responded to charges of treason with a three hour defense of free speech in wartime. La Follette had votedagainst a declaration of war as well as several initiatives seen as essential to the war effort by those that supported U.S. involvement in the first World War. His resistance was met with a petition to the Committee on Privileges and Elections that called for La Follette’s expulsion from the Senate. The charges were investigated, but La Follette was cleared of any wrong doing by the committee on January 16, 1919. [Source: United States Senate]

Google’s daily puzzle asks about English monarchical intrigue: “The first king to rule the House of Lancaster chose a wife who became unpopular with the people. For what crime was she convicted?”

Good morning.

Whitewater’s week ends with a mostly sunny day, and a high of fifty-three.

On this day in 1947, Pres. Truman delivered the first televised address from the White House:

President Harry Truman (1884-1972) makes the first-ever televised presidential address from the White House, asking Americans to cut back on their use of grain in order to help starving Europeans. At the time of Truman’s food-conservation speech, Europe was still recovering from World War II and suffering from famine. Truman, the 33rd commander in chief, worried that if the U.S. didn’t provide food aid, his administration’s Marshall Plan for European economic recovery would fall apart. He asked farmers and distillers to reduce grain use and requested that the public voluntarily forgo meat on Tuesdays, eggs and poultry on Thursdays and save a slice of bread each day. The food program was short-lived, as ultimately the Marshall Plan succeeded in helping to spur economic revitalization and growth in Europe.

On this day in 1846, Wisconsin’s first state constitutional convention met:

1846 – First State Constitutional Convention Meets
On this date Wisconsin’s first state Constitutional Convention met in Madison. The Convention sat until December 16,1846. The Convention was attended by 103 Democrats and 18 Whigs. The proposed constitution failed when voters refused to accept several controversial issues: an anti-banking article, a homestead exemption (which gave $1000 exemption to any debtor), providing women with property rights, and black suffrage. The following convention, the Second Constituitional Convention of Wisconsin in 1847-48, produced and passed a constitution that Wisconsin still very much follows today. [Source:The Convention of 1846 edited Milo M. Quaife]

For today’s daily puzzle from Google, some chemistry: “What is produced when the element discovered by Joseph Priestly reacts with the metal manufactured by his “mad” brother-in-law?”

Good morning.

Showers are likely today in the Whippet City, with a high of seventy-five.

Whitewater’s Landmarks Commission meets today at 6 PM.

On this day in 1957, the Soviets’ launch of Sputnik into orbit began the Space Age.

Here we are, fifty-five years later:

Google’s daily puzzle asks about rooms in the White House: “In what room of the White House did a U.S. President marry the youngest First Lady?”

Good morning.

It’s a partly sunny Wednesday, with a high of seventy, in store for Whitewater.

On this day in 1990, East and West Germany ended forty-five years of division, becoming one, re-unified country:

Then the President, Richard von Weizsacker, drawing on the words of the West German Constitution, proclaimed from the steps of the Reichstag: ”In free self-determination, we want to achieve the unity in freedom of Germany. We are aware of our responsibility for these tasks before God and the people. We want to serve peace in the world in a united Europe.”

If you’ve ever wondered what an astronaut sees at night, here’s a scenic answer:

Google’s daily puzzle asks about a drink, a place, and a language: “You just popped open a bottle of champagne in the country that’s the leading producer of cork. How do you say “happy birthday” like a native?”