Prior to 1926, a successful ministerial by-election was required for members of the British House of Commons (pictured) to regain their seats after being made ministers. This requirement originated from 17th- century ideas of parliamentary independence from the Crown, which appoints the ministers; while early attempts were made to fully separate ministers and Parliament in a manner similar to that of the future United States, a compromise was reached instead to merely require new ministers to face a by-election to join Parliament. This by-election was in practice usually, but not always, an uncontested formality, and was gradually reformed before finally being abolished in 1926. Ministerial by-elections spread to British colonies in modern-day Canada and Australia, where they were likewise all abolished by the mid-20th century, ending with Western Australia in 1947; in Canada, they played a major role in the 1926 King–Byng affair before being abolished federally in 1931.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ministerial_by-election> _______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries: 1869: During construction of the Eastman tunnel in St. Anthony, Minnesota (now Minneapolis), the Mississippi River broke through the tunnel's limestone ceiling, nearly destroying Saint Anthony Falls. <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eastman_tunnel> 1970: The environmental organization Greenpeace was incorporated as the Don't Make a Wave Committee in British Columbia, Canada. <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greenpeace> 1999: Two trains collided head-on in Ladbroke Grove, London, killing 31 people, injuring 417, and severely damaging public confidence in the management and regulation of safety of Britain's privatised railway system. <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ladbroke_Grove_rail_crash> 2011: Two Chinese cargo ships were attacked and their crews murdered on a stretch of the Mekong River in far northern Thailand. <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mekong_River_massacre> _____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day: maven: (chiefly US) An expert in a given field; also, a person who is interested in and knowledgeable about a particular activity or thing; an aficionado. <https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/maven> ___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day: Yes, the universe had a beginning. Yes, the universe continues to evolve. And yes, every one of our body's atoms is traceable to the big bang and to the thermonuclear furnace within high-mass stars. We are not simply in the universe, we are part of it. We are born from it. One might even say we have been empowered by the universe to figure itself out — and we have only just begun. --Neil deGrasse Tyson <https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Neil_deGrasse_Tyson> _______________________________________________ Wikipedia Daily Article mailing list. To unsubscribe write to: [email protected] Questions or comments? Contact [email protected]
