A public or official announcement dealing with a matter of great importance
Proclamation
Fact of the Day
Both England and Russia imposed a tax on beards in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, making having a beard a status symbol.
Quote of the Day
"I love argument, I love debate. I don't expect anyone just to sit there and agree with me, that's not their job.
"
~ Margaret Thatcher
On This Day
43 BCE The assassination of Cicero, requested by Marc Antony. When his head was delivered to Anthony, his wife, Fulvia, spat on it and jabbed hairpins into his tongue.
1732 The Theatre Royal, now known as the Covent Garden Opera House, opened with a performance of the Beggar's Opera.
1787 Delaware became the first state of the modern United States.
1817 Rear-Admiral William Bligh died. He had been captain of HMS Bounty during the mutiny.
1941 The Japanese launched a surprise attack on the American naval base a Pearl Harbour, Hawaii, killing 2,403.
1982 Charles Brooks Jr became the first person to be executed by lethal injection, with a huge dose of 'truth serum'
