1733 – Joseph Priestley was born in Fieldhead, Yorkshire, England. He wrote the influential History of the Corruptions of Christianity, which Thomas Jefferson credited with his conversion to Unitarianism. However, Priestley is best known for chemistry, in which he made a number of discoveries, including oxygen. Priestley made his inventions available to the public and … Continue reading This Day in Unitarian Universalist History March 13
Church in Rakow on site of former Socinian Church 1572 – Valentine Smalcius was born in Gotha, Thuringia (now Germany). A Unitarian leader, he was active in the Socinian church through his friendship with Faustus Socinus and became pastor of the Socinian Church in Rakow, Poland. Smalcius fought for tolerance of other Protestant groups such … Continue reading This Day in Unitarian Universalist History March 12
1965 – James Reeb, a Unitarian minister, died in Selma, Alabama. Two days earlier, he was attacked by segregationists during a civil rights march. He was one of more than 125 Unitarian Universalist ministers who answered Martin Luther King’s call to march in support of voting rights for black Americans. Read more about James Reeb … Continue reading This Day in Unitarian Universalist History March 11
by Tho. H. Shepherd, Engraved by W. Wallis 1719 – Clergy dissenting from the Church of England held an interfaith meeting at Salters’ Hall in Exeter, England, and declared the right of Christian liberty in matters of religious belief. They were the first group of Christian ministers to call for noncreedal religion, and they established a … Continue reading This Day in Unitarian Universalist History March 10
1854 – American Unitarian Association president Samuel Kirkland Lothrop addressed a gathering at AUA headquarters about the advantages of planned book publishing, thereby setting in motion the precursor of Beacon Press. Read about the history of Beacon Press in a biography of publisher Melvin Arnold. The post March 9 first appeared on Harvard Square Library. … Continue reading This Day in Unitarian Universalist History March 9
1841 – Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr. was born in Boston. He was an ardent abolitionist in the Civil War, in which he served and was wounded three times. Holmes became Weld Professor of Law at Harvard but soon after resigned to take an appointment to the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts, where he became chief … Continue reading This Day in Unitarian Universalist History March 8
William Lovelace/Express/Getty Images 1965 – 600 civil rights marchers who set out from Selma, Alabama, on their way to Montgomery to urge passage of the Voting Rights Act, were attacked at the Edmund Pettus Bridge. “Bloody Sunday” led Martin Luther King to call on clergy of all faiths to join him; more than 125 Unitarian Universalist … Continue reading This Day in Unitarian Universalist History March 7
1582 The debate between Simon Budny and the Catholics began at the Synod of Iwie in Poland. His view was that Jesus was born naturally and was not an appropriate object of worship. Budny translated the entire Bible from Hebrew, Greek, and Latin into Polish (1572). He gained a large following despite being denounced and … Continue reading This Day in Unitarian Universalist History March 6
1853 – Arthur Foote was born. Arthur studied music at Harvard University and served as organist at Church of the Disciples and organist and choirmaster at First Church in Boston. He composed chamber music, art songs, and choral music, as well as anthems, cantatas, and organ pieces for church use. Read more about Arthur Foote. … Continue reading This Day in Unitarian Universalist History March 5
1864 – Thomas Starr King, a Unitarian minister and missionary on the West Coast, died at age 39 of diphtheria. Born the son of a Universalist minister in New York City, King settled as minister of the First Church in San Francisco and made evangelizing tours up and down the West Coast. A strong abolitionist, … Continue reading This Day in Unitarian Universalist History March 4
