FYI December 18, 2020

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On This Day

1655 – The Whitehall Conference ends with the determination that there was no law preventing Jews from re-entering England after the Edict of Expulsion of 1290.

The Whitehall Conference was a gathering of prominent English merchants, clergymen, and lawyers convened by Oliver Cromwell for the purpose of debating whether Jews should be readmitted to England. The conference lasted from 4 to 18 December 1655.

While Cromwell himself was in favour of Jewish resettlement, the participants ultimately broke down into three groups.

The London merchants opposed resettlement due to fears of economic competition, while the clergymen were not in favour on religious grounds.

The second group, consisting mainly of Cromwell’s officials and military figures, backed readmission with certain precautions built in. They were in favour of giving Jews a probationary period during which they could be expelled if they misbehaved. They were expected not to blaspheme Christ or attempt to convert Christians.

The third group consisted of the Millenarians and Sabbatarians, both of whom broke down into radical and more conservative wings. The conservative wing of this faction supported readmission with clauses built in that would make it possible for Jews to be thrown out if things did not go as planned. The radical wing argued that it was England’s divine duty to readmit Jews, or else face God’s wrath. Most members of this third faction hoped to convert Jews to Christianity upon their arrival in England, thereby hastening the second coming and the advent of the messianic age.

While the conference failed to reach a definitive conclusion as to whether Jewish readmission should be carried out, it was significant for clarifying that resettlement was legally permissible. Most prominent legal scholars agreed that “there is no law against their (the Jews) coming”. This was correct, as Jews had been expelled from England by the Edict of Expulsion in 1290 on the basis of a royal decree, not on the basis of parliamentary legislation. This finding would prove crucial to the eventual readmission of Jews in the 1660s.

 
 
1958 – Project SCORE, the world’s first communications satellite, is launched.
SCORE (Signal Communications by Orbiting RElay) was the world’s first purpose-built communications satellite. Launched aboard an American Atlas rocket on December 18, 1958, SCORE provided the second test of a communications relay system in space (the first having been provided by the USAF/NASA’s Pioneer 1,[3] the first broadcast of a human voice from space, and the first successful use of the Atlas as a launch vehicle. It captured world attention by broadcasting a Christmas message via shortwave radio from U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower through an on-board tape recorder.[4] The satellite was popularly dubbed “The Talking Atlas”. SCORE, as a geopolitical strategy, placed the United States at an even technological par with the Soviet Union as a highly functional response to the Sputnik 1 and Sputnik 2 satellites.

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Born On This Day

1912 – Benjamin O. Davis, Jr., American general and pilot (d. 2002)
Benjamin Oliver Davis Jr. (December 18, 1912 – July 4, 2002) was a United States Air Force general and commander of the World War II Tuskegee Airmen.

He was the first African-American Brigadier general in the United States Air Force. On December 9, 1998, he was advanced to four-star general by President Bill Clinton. During World War II, Davis was commander of the 99th Fighter Squadron and the 332nd Fighter Group, which escorted bombers on air combat missions over Europe. Davis flew sixty missions in P-39, Curtiss P-40, P-47 and P-51 Mustang fighters. Davis followed in his father’s footsteps in breaking racial barriers, as Benjamin O. Davis Sr. was the first African-American general in the United States Army.

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FYI

Fireside Books presents Shelf Awareness for Readers for Friday, December 18, 2020

 
 
 
 

STORIES OF THE FAR NORTH: Lunging Dozers
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 

Recipes

Little House Big Alaska: No Spread Sugar Cookies


 
 

 
 

 
 

 
 
 
 

E-book Deals:

 

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Love Swept & The Smitten Word

Mystery & Thriller Most Wanted

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Stacy, Carol RT Book Reviews

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