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It will be of little avail to the people, that the laws are made by men of their own choice, if the laws be so voluminous that they cannot be read, or so incoherent that they cannot be understood; if they be repealed or revised before they are promulgated, or undergo such incessant changes that no man, who knows what the law is today, can guess what it will be to-morrow.
— James Madison
Reading Time: 5 minutes 15 seconds
Today is Wednesday, November 1st, the 305th day of 2023. There are 60 days left in the year. It is Extra Mile Day, Prime Meridian Day, National Calzone Day, National Cinnamon Day, National Deep Fried Clams Day, National Vinegar Day, International Scented Candle Day, and World Vegan Day.
On This Day
In 1520, the Strait of Magellan, the passage immediately south of mainland South America connecting the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Ocean, was discovered and navigated by European explorer Ferdinand Magellan.
In 1683, the British Crown’s colony of New York was subdivided into 12 counties.
In 1790, Edmund Burke published Reflections on the Revolution in France, in which he predicted that the French Revolution will end in a disaster.
In 1861, President Abraham Lincoln appointed George B. McClellan as the commander of the Union Army, replacing General Winfield Scott.
In 1870, the Weather Bureau (later renamed the National Weather Service) made its first meteorological forecast.
In 1897, the first Library of Congress building opened its doors to the public. The library had previously been housed in the Congressional Reading Room in the U.S. Capitol.
In 1922, the last sultan of the Ottoman Empire, Mehmed VI, abdicated.
In 1952, the U.S. successfully detonated Ivy Mike, the first thermonuclear device, at Eniwetok Atoll. The explosion had a yield of ten megatons TNT equivalent.
In 1982, Honda became the first Asia-based automobile company to produce cars in the United States, with the opening of its factory in Marysville, Ohio.
In 2000, the Republic of Serbia and Montenegro joined the United Nations.
Today’s Birthdays
World Golf Hall of Famer Gary Player is 88. Actor Robert Foxworth is 82. Singer-songwriter and musician Lyle Lovett is 66. Actress Toni Collette is 51.
The Links
Candy and chewing gum prices up 7.5 percent from September 2022 to September 2023 (Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor)
“Digging deeper into the CPI data coffers, prices for candy and chewing gum were 39.7 percent higher than 10 years ago. Prices for fresh cakes and cupcakes were up 38.4 percent and prices for cookies increased 32.0 percent.”
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