MAY 25

This could be the day of strange trials.

On this date in 1925, John T. Scopes was indicted for teaching Darwin's Theory of Evolution in a Dayton, Tennessee public school.  The subsequent trial is often referred to as the "Scopes Monkey Trial."  Tennessee had a law prohibiting the teaching of evolution theory.  It was really a test case brought on by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) to undo the Tennessee law. Scopes was convicted but his conviction was overturned on a technicality.  The Tennessee law was repealed, but not until 1967.

On this date in 1895, Oscar Wilde was convicted of gross indecency by a British court and sentenced to two years hard labor in prison.  Wilde, an Irishman, was an author, playwright and poet. From a country that prides itself in great literature, he is the most famous and celebrated of all.  The imprisonment led to his early death.

On this date in 1521, Martin Luther was convicted of heresy by the Holy Roman Emperor, Charles V.  The conviction was made public by the Edict Worms which was the result of the Diet of Worms. (No, I did not make a spelling error. Worms is a city in Germany.  A Diet is a tribunal or an assembly of judges.)  Luther was a priest and theological scholar.  He had written that he differed with the Catholic Church on it's interpretation of Scripture.  His main differences had to do with indulgences and the authority of the Pope.  This event marked the beginning of the Protestant Reformation.

o.o