On this Day... December 7

CEBU, Philippines – In 1873, "The novelist of the plains," Willa Cather, was born in Back Creek Valley, Virginia - moving to the flatlands of Nebraska when she was ten years old. Her mother was exceedingly vain, always wore the latest fashions, and apart from beating Willa when she disobeyed, left the child to her own devices. As a reaction to her fashionable parent, Willa cropped her hair, wore boys' clothes, and signed herself "William." She rode through wild country alone, made house calls with doctors she knew, and was so obviously advanced at school that they let her come and go as she pleased. Her favorite amusement was vivisection, and she said that her idea of seventh heaven was to be able to amputate limbs!

• In 43, the Roman orator Cicero was assassinated. He'd offended Mark Anthony once too often, and after he was beheaded the hands that had written the offending speeches were cut off. Both head and hands were hung on the rostrum where the orator spoke, and there Anthony's wife Fulvia also got her revenge. Stung by Cicero's many nasty remarks about her, she tore the tongue from his head and stabbed it with a hairpin over and over again!

- from Today's the Day! By Jeremy Beadle

In Christian history

• In 1941, the popular wartime phrase, "Praise the Lord and pass the ammunition!" was coined by naval chaplain Howell M. Forgy aboard the cruiser U.S.S. New Orleans, which was among the ships attacked during the Japanese air raid on Pearl Harbor.

- from This Day in Christian History By William D. Blake

In the Philippines

• In 1956, The Philippines was elected to the eleven-nation United Nations Security Council (UNSC). President Ramon Magsaysay on the following day, designated Ambassador Carlos P. Romulo as Philippine representative on the Council.The Philippines deadlocked with Yugoslavia the previous year in election to the Council and an improvised lottery resulted in the accession of the latter to the seat with the understanding that it would give way to the Philippines after one year of the two-year term. The Soviet bloc attempted to upset this arrangement and proposed the election of Czechoslovakia, but on a vote being taken, the Philippines won on a secret ballot of 51 to 20. Romulo who was Philippine Ambassador to the United States at the time of his designation, was the Philippine delegate at the United Nations founding conference in San Francisco in October of 1945 and served as the head of the Philippine delegation for a number of years. He was President of the General Assembly in 1949 to 1950, and was chairman of the Assembly's political, trusteeship, and budget committees as well as a member of various other important committees at various times. The Philippines would again be elected to the UNSC in 1963 with Romania serving the 1962 half of the two-year term, 1980-1981, and 2004-2005. The United Nations Security Council is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations and is charged with the maintenance of international peace and security. Its powers include the establishment of peacekeeping operations, the establishment of international sanctions, and the authorization of military action through Security Council resolutions. It is the only UN body with the authority to issue binding resolutions to member states. The Security Council held its first session on January 17, 1946.

- www.kahimyang.info

In Cebu

• In 1900, an American force under Maj. H. B. McCoy engaged Cebuanos under Gen. Emilio Verdeflor near Balamban. The encounter resulted in the death of Verdeflor, one of the ablest generals of the war against Americans in Cebu.

• In 1953, Jose V. Rodriguez assumed the Cebu City mayorship, succeeding Vicente S. del Rosario. Rodriguez remained mayor until Nov. 16, 1955.

- from Cebuano Studies Center, University of San Carlos