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Christian History

Today in Christian History

January 11

January 11, 1759: The first American life insurance company is incorporated in Philadelphia—the "Corporation of Poor and Distressed Presbyterian Ministers and of the Poor and Distressed Widows and Children of Presbyterian Ministers."

January 11, 1875: The "Scandal of the Century" goes public as journalist Theodore Tilton sues prominent liberal pastor Henry Ward Beecher for alienating his wife's affections (i.e. having an affair with her). The trial, which became a national sensation, finally ended with a hung jury.

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April 28, 1789: In the South Pacific, a band of hedonistic sailors stages the famous mutiny on the Bounty. The mutineers then sailed to uninhabited Pitcairn Island, where they soon fell into drinking and fighting. Only one man and several women (taken earlier as slaves) and children survived. The man, Alexander Smith, discovered the ship's neglected Bible, repented, and transformed the community. The Bible is still on display in a Pitcairn church.

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