The Cross of Gold speech was delivered by William Jennings Bryan, a former congressman from Nebraska, at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago on July 9, 1896. In the address, Bryan supported bimetallism or " free silver", which he believed would bring the nation prosperity. He decried the gold standard, concluding the speech, "you shall not crucify mankind upon a cross of gold". Bryan's address helped catapult him to the Democratic Party's presidential nomination; it is considered one of the greatest political speeches in American history. For twenty years, Americans had been bitterly divided over the nation's monetary standard. Many Americans believed bimetallism (making both gold and silver legal tender) was necessary to the nation's economic health. Bryan's speech, delivered at the close of the debate on the party platform, electrified the convention and is generally credited with getting him the nomination for president. However, he lost the general election to William McKinley and the United States formally adopted the gold standard in 1900. ( more...)

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July 9: Independence Day in Argentina ( 1816) and South Sudan ( 2011)

More anniversaries: July 8 – July 9 – July 10

The 60 municipalities of Lithuania are sub-divided into over 500 smaller groups, known as elderships, as well as being grouped into 10 counties. These municipalities, elderships, and counties make up the three layers of Lithuania's administrative division. At the end of its tenure as a Soviet Socialist Republic, Lithuania's administrative division consisted of 44 regions, 12 cities, 80 towns, 19 settlements, and 426 rural districts. The reform of this system was an immediate concern for the new government. The Constitution of Lithuania, ratified in 1992, delegated the power of establishing future administrative units to the Lithuanian Parliament. The current system of a set of municipalities under 10 counties was codified by 1995. Several changes were made in 2000, resulting in 60 municipalities, each of which has its own coat of arms (example pictured). Municipal councilors are directly elected every four years. The councilors then elect the municipality's mayor. ( more...)