1568 – The second religious debate between Unitarian Francis Dávid and Calvinist bishop Peter Melius opened Transylvania, lasting 10 days. The series of debates began at the Diet of Torda and ultimately resulted in the conversion of Prince John Sigismund to Unitarianism. The post March 3 first appeared on Harvard Square Library. Read more at: … Continue reading This Day in Unitarian Universalist History March 3

1401 – The English Parliament passed the law “On the Burning of Heretics” which condemned all heretics to death at the stake. It was the first law in England regulating Dissenting religion and was not abolished until 1677. The post March 2 first appeared on Harvard Square Library. Read more at: www.HarvardSquareLibrary.org – the digital … Continue reading This Day in Unitarian Universalist History March 2

1958 – Moncure Conway was born in Stafford County, Virginia. Ordained a Unitarian minister in 1855, he became a minister in Cincinnati, Ohio. Conway’s house was a station on the Underground Railroad, and in 1862 he resigned the minstry to devote himself to the cause of abolition. He became minister of South Place Chapel (Unitarian) … Continue reading This Day in Unitarian Universalist History March 17

1901 – Linus Carl Pauling was born in Portland, Oregon. He helped integrate chemistry with quantum theory and founded the discipline now known as molecular biology. When the atomic bomb was developed, Pauling became a pacifist. He joined First Unitarian Church of Los Angeles, California. He received the Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 1945 and … Continue reading This Day in Unitarian Universalist History February 28

1807 – Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, the most famous American poet of his time, was born in Portland, Maine. He taught modern languages at Bowdoin College and at Harvard University. His many famous poems included “The Song of Hiawatha,” “Tales of a Wayside Inn,” and “Evangeline.” He was a friend of the Transcendentalists of the Concord-Cambridge … Continue reading This Day in Unitarian Universalist History February 27

1608 – George Otinovius, a Socinian who was imprisoned for writing Book of Extracts from the Scriptures and the Church Fathers, died in prison. He was headmaster of the Socinian School in Rakow. With his older brother, Erasmus Otvinovius, he also wrote Unitarian tracts. The post February 26 first appeared on Harvard Square Library. Read … Continue reading This Day in Unitarian Universalist History February 26

1566 – Ferancesco Sega de Rovigo was executed for being a member of the Unitarian society in Venice, Italy. He was a friend of Laelius Socinus and was influenced by Michael Servetus’s On the Errors of the Trinity. De Rovigo was taken by boat into the Adriatic Sea, weighted with stones, and dropped into the … Continue reading This Day in Unitarian Universalist History February 25

1813 – John Murray Forbes was born in Bordeaux, France. His father was a wealthy merchant, and John learned the trade. He invested in land, iron, steam and railroads and served as the president of the Michigan Central Railroad. Murray became an abolitionist and provided equal pay to freed slaves. He was a member of … Continue reading This Day in Unitarian Universalist History February 23

1805 – Sarah Flower Adams was born in England. An actress who achieved a dramatic triumph as Lady Macbeth, she became ill suddenly and had to give up the stage. She was a lifelong Unitarian, deeply devoted to her Unitarian church in South Place, London. She also composed “Nearer, My God, to Thee.” The post … Continue reading This Day in Unitarian Universalist History February 22

1830 – Brooke Herford was born in Altrincham, Cheshire, England. He studied theology at Manchester College and served as a Unitarian minister in England and the United states. Herford was author of The Story of Religion in England. Harvard awarded him a D.D. degree. Read more about Brooke Herford at: www.HarvardSquareLibrary.org – the digital library … Continue reading This Day in Unitarian Universalist History February 21