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Christian History

Today in Christian History

November 9

November 9, 1799: Asa Mahan, Congregational clergyman and first president of Oberlin College, is born in Verona, New York.

November 9, 1938: German fascists take to the streets across Germany, looting and vandalizing Jewish homes, hospitals, schools, and synangogues in an event referred to as “Kristalnacht” for the shards of broken glass that littered the streets. German authorities did not intervene. Over 1000 synagogues were burned and 7000 Jewish businesses were destroyed or damaged. The death toll is hard to calculate, but some historians estimate that hundreds of Jews were murdered in this single night of hatred and violence.

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April 25, 1214: Louis IX, king of France and saint, is born. Leader of the Seventh and Eighth Crusades (he died on the latter), he was known for his humility: he wore hair shirts and visited hospitals—where he emptied the bedpans (see issue 40: The Crusades).

April 25, 1599: Oliver Cromwell, the Puritan lord protector of England, is born near Cambridge. As lord protector, he sought to allow more freedom of religion for Puritans but also introduced intrusive and unpopular authoritarian measures. ...

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