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Words of Wisdom for April

Apr 01

"Money has never made man happy, nor will it, there is nothing in its nature to produce happiness. The more of it one has the more one wants."

Apr 02

"What can a pencil do for all of us? Amazing things. It can write transcendent poetry, uplifting music, or life-changing equations; it can sketch the future, give life to untold beauty, and communicate the full-force of our love and aspirations."

Apr 04

"All the measures of the Government are directed to the purpose of making the rich richer and the poor poorer."

Apr 05

"I give my signature to many Bills with which my Judgment is at variance.... From the Nature of the Constitution, I must approve all parts of a Bill, or reject it in total. To do the latter can only be Justified upon the clear and obvious grounds of propriety; and I never had such confidence in my own faculty of judging as to be over tenacious of the opinions I may have imbibed in doubtful cases."

Apr 06

"Half a loaf is better than no bread. If we cannot secure all our rights, let us secure what we can."

Apr 07

In writing this symphony Beethoven had been thinking of Buonaparte, but Buonaparte while he was First Consul. At that time Beethoven had the highest esteem for him and compared him to the greatest consuls of ancient Rome. Not only I, but many of Beethoven¹s closer friends, saw this symphony on his table, beautifully copied in manuscript, with the word "Buonaparte" inscribed at the very top of the title-page and "Luigi van Beethoven" at the very bottom. ...

I was the first to tell him the news that Buonaparte had declared himself Emperor, whereupon he broke into a rage and exclaimed, "So he is no more than a common mortal! Now, too, he will tread under foot all the rights of man, indulge only his ambition; now he will think himself superior to all men, become a tyrant!" Beethoven went to the table, seized the top of the title-page, tore it in half and threw it on the floor. The page had to be re-copied and it was only now that the symphony received the title "Sinfonia eroica."

— In recording his memories of Ludwig van Beethoven, Ferdinand Ries set in stone one of the enduring myths of nineteenth century cultural history: That in 1804 the composer angrily revoked his planned dedication to Napoleon Bonaparte of his Third (Eroica) Symphony when he learned that Napoleon had declared himself Emperor.

What happened Today in History that illustrates this quote?

Apr 08

"Remember, democracy never lasts long. It soon wastes, exhausts, and murders itself. There never was a democracy yet that did not commit suicide."

Apr 09

"The public library is in every sense an institutional descendant of the social library, but in its governmental relationships it represents an innovation. At Salisbury and Lexington municipal support was introduced to strengthen existing social libraries, but at Peterborough, New Hampshire, in 1833, a library was established which from the beginning was truly a public institution and in all its relationships to the community was remarkably like the public library of today. The significance of the Peterborough Town Library, then, lies less in its primacy than in its modernity."

Apr 10

Fifty-seven patents were granted during the three years the 1790 Patent Act existed. Three of these patents were granted in 1790, thirty-three in 1791, eleven in 1792, and ten in 1793 before February, which is when the following patent act was adopted. There is little available information regarding the subject matter of these patents, because all of these records along with other documents of the Patent Office were destroyed in the Patent Office Fire of 1836. The first patent was granted on July 31, 1790, to Samuel Hopkins for his invention of “Making Pot and Pearl Ashes.”

Apr 11

"Never interrupt your enemy when he is making a mistake."

Apr 12

"There is a certain enthusiasm in liberty, that makes human nature rise above itself, in acts of bravery and heroism."

Apr 13

"Some kinds of animals burrow in the ground; others do not. Some animals are nocturnal, as the owl and the bat; others use the hours of daylight. There are tame animals and wild animals. Man and the mule are always tame; the leopard and the wolf are invariably wild, and others, as the elephant, are easily tamed."

Apr 13

HERE WAS BURIED
THOMAS JEFFERSON
AUTHOR OF THE
DECLARATION
OF AMERICAN INDEPENDENCE
OF THE
STATUTE OF VIRGINIA
FOR
RELIGIOUS FREEDOM
AND FATHER OF THE
UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA
BORN APRIL 2, 1743
DIED JULY 4. 1826

Apr 15

"Now he belongs to the ages."

— Unconscious, Lincoln was carried from Ford's Theatre to the nearby house of Williams Peterson at 453 10th Street. There, in a room rented to William Clark, a boarder, Abraham Lincoln died at 7:22 a.m., April 15, 1865. The artist's conception of the deathbed scene is shown here with the dying President surrounded by his family, members of the Cabinet, (excluding Seward, who had been seriously stabbed in an assassination attempt the same night), officers, and physicians. When Lincoln died Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton is reported to have uttered his famous remark; April 15, 1865, 7:22 a.m.

What happened Today in History that illustrates this quote?

Apr 16

"If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader."

Apr 17

Rash councils now, with each malignant plan,
Each faction, in that evil hour began,
At your approach are in confusion fled,
Nor while you rule, shall raise their dastard head.
Alike the master and the slave shall see
Their neck reliv'd, the yoke unbound by thee.

Apr 18

1. One lantern hung in the bell-tower of Christ Church in Boston indicated troops would be marching "by land" out Boston Neck.

2. Two lanterns indicated troops would row "by sea" across the Charles River to Cambridge.

On the way to Lexington, Revere "alarmed" the country-side, stopping at each house, and arrived in Lexington around midnight. As he approached the house where Adams and Hancock were staying, a sentry asked that he not make so much noise.

"Noise!" cried Revere, "You'll have noise enough before long. The regulars are coming out!"

After delivering his message, Revere was joined by a second rider, William Dawes, who had been sent on the same errand by a different route. Deciding on their own to continue on to Concord, Massachusetts, where weapons and supplies were hidden, Revere and Dawes were joined by a third rider, Dr. Samuel Prescott.

Soon after, all three were arrested by a British patrol. Prescott escaped almost immediately, and Dawes soon after. Revere was held for some time and then released. Left without a horse, Revere returned to Lexington in time to witness part of the battle on the Lexington Green.

Apr 19

By the rude bridge that arched the flood,
Their flag to April's breeze unfurled,
Here once the embattled farmers stood,
And fired the shot heard round the world.
The foe long since in silence slept;
Alike the conqueror silent sleeps;
And Time the ruined bridge has swept
Down the dark stream which seaward creeps.
On this green bank, by this soft stream,
We set to-day a votive stone;
That memory may their deed redeem,
When, like our sires, our sons are gone.
Spirit, that made those heroes dare
To die, and leave their children free,
Bid Time and Nature gently spare
The shaft we raise to them and thee.

Apr 19

"Since the rebels lacked a navy, the British army still retained control of Boston harbor, yet supplies in the town quickly dwindled as they awaited the arrival of supply ships."

Apr 20

"Since the rebels lacked a navy, the British army still retained control of Boston harbor, yet supplies in the town quickly dwindled as they awaited the arrival of supply ships."

Apr 21

"The Hebrews have done more to civilize men than any other nation. If I were an atheist, and believed blind eternal fate, I should still believe that fate had ordained the Jews to be the most essential instrument for civilizing the nations."

Apr 22

"Democracy is the art and science of running the circus from the monkey cage."

— H. L. Mencken, (1880-1956), a German-American journalist, satirist, cultural critic and scholar of American English. Known as the "Sage of Baltimore", he is regarded as one of the most influential American writers and prose stylists of the first half of the 20th century.

What happened Today in History that illustrates this quote?

Apr 23

"The trite saying that honesty is the best policy has met with the just criticism that honesty is not policy. The real honest man is honest from conviction of what is right, not from policy."

Apr 24

"They (the Indians) killed and scalped Mr. Bradford, His wife and Mr. Mills' wife and killed her children. Two of Mr Bradford's boys they carried off prisoners, wounded one of his daughters and a boy of Mills dangerously."

"Joshua Bradford was grinding corn outside that morning and did not hear the warning shots. Since he had earlier that winter saved the life of the the Chief when he was drowning, Joshua did not fear the local Indians.Sarah hid with one of her younger siblings, but two of her brothers were taken captive and brought into Canada. It is said that many years later the two boys returned to the family, but did not like living with them and returned to the Indian Villages that they had been raised in."

"It is also said that their daughter Melatiah had hid under the bed with her brother, Elisha. when Elisha cried, she crept out and dashed toward the fort. The Indians saw her as they were leaving and started in pursuit. One gave her an ugly wound which was supposed to have severed two lower ribs from the spine. A soldier from the fort where the other children had taken refuge, succeeded in rescuing her."

Apr 25

“Mexico has passed the boundary of the United States, has invaded our territory and shed American blood upon the American soil.”

Apr 26

“Let me!” pleaded Sybil, then 16. “I can ride as well as any man.” So it was agreed. Sybil was given the job of calling the farmers to fight. With the reins in one hand and a big stick in the other, Sybil galloped into the night. At each farmhouse she paused only long enough to bang the stick on the door and yell, “The British are coming! Fight, fight!”

— Sybil Ludington lived on a farm near New York. It was April 1777. Sybil’s father was a captain in the militia. One night a messenger arrived with urgent news. The British where planning a surprise attack! The farmers had to be warned! 

What happened Today in History that illustrates this quote?

Apr 27

"Last Night 3 Cargoes of Bohea Tea were emptied into the Sea. This Morning a Man of War sails. This is the most magnificent Movement of all. There is a Dignity, a Majesty, a Sublimity, in this last Effort of the Patriots, that I greatly admire. The People should never rise, without doing something to be remembered—something notable And striking. This Destruction of the Tea is so bold, so daring, so firm, intrepid and inflexible, and it must have so important Consequences, and so lasting, that I cant but consider it as an Epocha in History. There was a repeat performance on March 7, 1774, but it was much less destructive."

— John Adams journal entry, December 17, 1773, writing about the number of colonists were inspired by the Boston Tea Party to carry out similar acts, such as the burning of the Peggy Stewart. The Boston Tea Party eventually proved to be one of the many reactions that led to the American Revolutionary War.

What happened Today in History that illustrates this quote?

Apr 28

"When you're back in England with the fleet again, you'll hear the hue and cry against me. From now on they'll spell mutiny with my name."

Apr 29

"This crisis of confidence in the judiciary is real and growing. Left unaddressed, the perception that justice is for sale will undermine the rule of law that the courts are supposed to uphold."

— Justice Sandra Day O'Connor (born March 26, 1930) is a retired associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, serving from her appointment in 1981 by Ronald Reagan until her retirement in 2006. She was the first woman to be appointed to the Court.

What happened Today in History that illustrates this quote?

Apr 30

"It is the case of a guardian, investing the money of his ward in purchasing an important adjacent territory; and saying to him when of age, I did this for your own good."

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