1665 - A statute was enacted in Rhode Island, offering freemanship with no specifically Christian requirements, thus effectively enfranchising Jews.
1839 - Birth of William P. Mackey, a Scottish physician who later in life became a Presbyterian pastor. Mackey wrote several hymns during his life, including "Revive Us Again."
1917 - Near Fatima, Portugal, three shepherd children reported that Mary, the mother of Jesus, had appeared to them. Since 1930, this appearance has come to be known as Our Lady of Fatima.
1925 - In Tallahassee, Florida, the State legislature passed a bill requiring daily Bible readings in all public schools.
1981 - In St. Peter's Square, Rome, Turkish terrorist Mehmet Ali Agca, 23, shot and seriously wounded Pope John Paul II in an assassination attempt. Following a long convalescence, however, John Paul resumed his world travels.
© 1987-2011, William D. Blake. Used by permission of the author, from
Almanac of the Christian Church
