In 1497, “The Bonfire of the Vanities” took place in Florence, Italy, as followers of Dominican friar Girolama Savonarola burned a huge pile of items considered to be sinful distractions, such as books, artwork, fine clothing and cosmetics.
In 1795, the 11th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, dealing with states’ sovereign immunity, was ratified.
In 1817, America’s first public gas street lamp was lighted in Baltimore at the corner of Market and Lemon streets (now East Baltimore and Holliday streets).
In 1857, a French court acquitted author Gustave Flaubert of obscenity for his serialized novel “Madame Bovary.”
In 1936, President Franklin D. Roosevelt authorized a flag for the office of the vice president.
The Associated Press
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