History of the Day: 9/10

In 1977, the last man executed by guillotine was beheaded. It puts me in mind of the Monty Python song "Oliver Cromwell" which begins:

The most interesting thing about King Charles I is that he was 5' 6" at the beginning of his reign, but only 4' 8" at the end of it ...

For those of a feminist bent, Mary Wollstonecraft died 9/10/1797. She authored several books, the most famous of which, "Vindication of the Rights of Woman," she wrote only five years before her death. Here are some quotes from her which, if you do a journal activity, might be useful:

• No man chooses evil because it is evil; he only mistakes it for happiness, the good he seeks.
• Virtue can only flourish amongst equals.
• Every political good carried to the extreme must be productive of evil.
• It is justice, not charity, that is wanting in the world.

Finally, and most importantly, twelve years ago an 11lb 7oz baby boy was brought into the world, the best thing that's happened since Gregorian chant gave way to polyphony.