Electric Chair

Cities for Life Day is a day of opposition to the Death Penalty and celebrates those governments which have abolished it. This day was selected as a commemoration of the abolition of the death penalty on 11/30/1786 by the Grand Duchy of Tuscany, the first "modern state" to do so.

On this day in history:

1782 – Representatives from the US and Great Britain signed preliminary peace articles that became the Treaty of Paris.

1786 – The Grand Duchy of Tuscany, under Pietro Leopoldo I, became the first modern state to abolish the death penalty.

1803 – The Balmis Expedition started in Spain with the aim of vaccinating millions against smallpox in Spanish America and Philippines.

1803 – Spanish representatives officially transferred the Louisiana Territory to a French representative. 

1829 – The first Welland Canal opened for a trial run

1853 – The Imperial Russian Navy destroyed the Ottoman fleet at Sinop.

1886 – The Folies Bergère staged its first revue.

1934 – The Flying Scotsman became the first steam locomotive to be authenticated as reaching 100 mph.

1936 – London's Crystal Palace was destroyed by fire.

1966 – Barbados became independent from the United Kingdom.

1967 – South Yemen became independent from the United Kingdom.

1979 – Pink Floyd's The Wall  was released.

1995 – Official end of Operation Desert Storm.

1999 – Exxon and Mobil signed an agreement to merge

1999 – Demonstrations against a World Trade Organization meeting by anti-globalization protesters forcee the cancellation of opening ceremonies.

1999 – British Aerospace and Marconi Electronic Systems merged to form BAE Systems, Europe's largest defense contractor and the fourth largest aerospace firm in the world.

Born this day in:

A man should never be ashamed to own that he has been in the wrong, which is but saying, that he is wiser today than yesterday.

 ~~ Jonathan Swift

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1599 – Andrea Sacchi, painter
1667 – Jonathan Swift, I satirist and essayist
1670 – John Toland, philosopher and author
1756 – Ernst Chladni,  physicist and author
1768 – Jedrzej Sniadecki, physician, chemist, and biologist
1781 – Alexander Berry, surgeon, merchant, and explorer
1796 – Carl Loewe, singer, composer, and conductor
1810 – Oliver Winchester, Abusinessman and politician, founded the Winchester Repeating Arms Company 
1813 – Louise-Victorine Ackermann, poet and author
1813 – Charles-Valentin Alkan,  pianist and composer
1835 – Mark Twain, novelist, humorist, and critic
1843 – Martha Ripley, physician
1858 – Jagadish Chandra Bose, physicist, biologist, botanist, and archaeologist
1863 – Andrés Bonifacio, activist and politician, co-founded Katipunan
1869 – Gustaf Dalén, physicist and engineer
1872 – John McCrae, physician, soldier, and poet
1874 – Winston Churchill, colonel, journalist, and politician, 
1874 – Lucy Maud Montgomery, author and poet
1904 – Clyfford Still, painter and educator
1906 – John Dickson Carr, author and playwright
1906 – Andrés Henestrosa, poet, linguist, and politician
1907 – Jacques Barzun, historian and author
1909 – Robert Nighthawk, singer and guitarist
1911 – Jorge Negrete, singer and actor
1915 – Brownie McGhee, singer and guitarist
1915 – Henry Taube, chemist and academic
1916 – Dena Epstein, musicologist and author
1919 – Jane C. Wright, oncologist and cancer researcher
1924 – Elliott Blackstone, police officer and activist
1924 – Shirley Chisholm, Aactivist, educator and politician
1924 – Allan Sherman, actor, comedian, singer, producer, and screenwriter
1926 – Teresa Gisbert Carbonell, architect and art historian
1929 – Dick Clark, television host and producer, founded Dick Clark Productions
1936 – Dmitri Anosov, Rmathematician and academic
1936 – Abbie Hoffman, activist and author, co-founded the Youth International Party 
1937 – Jimmy Bowen, record producer, songwriter, and pop singer
1937 – Praveen Chaudhari, Iphysicist and academic
1937 – Frank Ifield, singer and guitarist
1937 – Luther Ingram, singer and songwriter
1943 – Norma Alarcón,  author and professor
1945 – Roger Glover,  bass player, songwriter, and producer
1945 – John R. Powers, author and playwright
1949 – Jimmy London, singer and songwriter
1953 – Shuggie Otis, singer, songwriter, and musician
1953 – June Pointer, American singer and actress
1953 – David Sancious, keyboard player and guitarist
1955 – Billy Idol, singer, songwriter, guitarist, and actor
1957 – John Ashton, guitarist, songwriter, and producer
1957 – Richard Barbieri, keyboard player and songwriter
1958 – Stacey Q, singer, songwriter, dancer, and actress
1959 – Cherie Currie, singer, songwriter, musician, and actress
1967 – Rajiv Dixit, author and activist
1968 – Des'ree, singer and songwriter
1975 – Mindy McCready, singer and songwriter
1976 – Marta Burgay, astronomer

Died this day in:

Be yourself; everyone else is already taken

~~ Oscar Wilde 

912 – Otto I, Duke of Saxony
1647 – Bonaventura Cavalieri, mathematician and astronomer
1761 – John Dollond, optician and astronomer
1863 – Kamehameha IV, King
1900 – Oscar Wilde, playwright, novelist, and poet
1930 – Mary Harris (Mother) Jones, Labor organizer
1953 – Francis Picabia, painter and poet
1958 – Hubert Wilkins, pilot, ornithologist, geographer, and explorer
1979 – Zeppo Marx, actor and comedian
1992 – Peter Blume, painter and sculptor
1993 – David Houston, singer and songwriter
1996 – Tiny Tim, singer and ukulele player
1997 – Kathy Acker, author, poet, and playwright
1999 – Charlie Byrd, guitarist
2000 – Scott Smith, bass player
2006 – Shirley Walker, composer and conductor

Holidays, Holy Days, Festivals, Feast Days, Days of Recognition, and such:
Cities For Life Day
National Mason Jar Day
National Personal Space Day
National Stay At Home Because You Are Well Day

Music goes here, iirc, well, With apologies

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