TODAY IN CHURCH HISTORY: February

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01 February

1829 - Sometime during the month of February, the Prophets father, Joseph Smith, Sr., visited him in Harmony, Pennsylvania. Joseph received a revelation for his father, known today as Doctrine and Covenants 4, on the qualifications of those who desire to serve God in the work of building the kingdom of God on earth.

1831 - The Prophet Joseph and his wife, Emma, arrived in Kirtland, Ohio, by sleigh. When the sleigh stopped in front of the Gilbert and Whitney Store, the Prophet walked into the store and said, "Newel K. Whitney! Thou art the man!" He then introduced himself and said, "You've prayed me here, now what do you want" (History of the Church, 1:146). The Prophet had seen in vision the Whitneys praying for him to come to Kirtland, Ohio. The Prophet and his wife stayed with the Whitney family for several weeks after arriving in Kirtland.

1841 - The first municipal elections were held in Nauvoo, Illinois. John C. Bennett was elected mayor, with William Marks, Samuel H. Smith, Daniel H. Wells, Newel K. Whitney as Aldermen. Joseph Smith, Hyrum Smith, Sidney Rigdon, Charles C. Rich, John T. Barnett, Wilson Law, Don Carlos Smith, John P. Greene, and Vinson Knight as Councilors.

1847 - The Mormon Battalion leaves the San Diego Mission and marches to San Luis Rey, where the soldiers were instructed to defend the mission as a military post.

1885 - President John Taylor delivers his last public sermon in the Tabernacle in Salt Lake City and goes "underground" to avoid arrest for practicing plural marriage.

1951- The first convert baptism takes place in Zimbabwe when Hugh Hodgkiss is baptized.

Edited March 4, 2009 by Gwen

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1833 - The Prophet Joseph Smith completes his translation and revision of the New Testament. However, during his lifetime he would continue to add a few changes to his revision.

1836 - The Prophet Joseph attended Hebrew school in the morning as usual, and attended to other duties the rest of the day. In the evening he attended a meeting held at the school house where Sidney Rigdon gave an "animated discourse . . . on the outlines of our faith." Joseph records that "the Spirit bore record that the Lord was well pleased" (History of the Church, 2:390).

1842 - The Prophet Joseph records the death of Sister Laura Phelps, wife of Morris Phelps, who died at age 36 years. He writes of her being driven from Jackson county in 1833, suffered persecutions and driven from her home in 1838, and assisted in liberating her husband from a Missouri prison. "Her rest is glorious" (History of the Church, 4:513).

1844 - In the assembly room above the Red Brick Store, Joseph Smith related a dream to Wilford Woodruff, Willard Richards, and W. W. Phelps, about his efforts to save friends on a steamboat and walking on the water with his brother Samuel Smith.

1846 - The Quorum of the Twelve met in the morning and discussed the need for the Saints to begin to leave Nauvoo for the west as soon as possible. In the afternoon, a meeting of the captains of hundreds and fifties met. Brigham Young laid before them the situation and the fear the government and mobs were planning on harassing them to keep them from leaving. They all agreed to move the time of leaving Nauvoo forward and left the meeting to make final preparations.

1848 - The signing of the treaty of Guadalupe Hidalog ends the Mexican War and the area of the Great Basin where the Saints had settled a few months previously becomes part of the United States. The treaty included land in what is now known as Utah, California, Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico and small parts of other states

1968 - Missionaries arrive in Thailand for the first time since 1854.

1986 - Brazil becomes the third country outside the United States to have 50 stakes.

1996 - The Mormon Tabernacle Choir is featured on a broadcast of CBS This Morning, a national morning news program.

2002 - The first meetinghouse in India, housing the Rajahmundry Branch, was dedicated.

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1836 - Morning Hebrew school was held and attended by the Prophet Joseph Smith and other brethren. Many visitors called upon the Prophet desiring to see the papyri in his possession.

1841 - The City Council of Nauvoo, Illinois, was organized and held their first meeting. The Prophet Joseph Smith gave the opening prayer. The Mayor and City Council members were sworn in, including Joseph Smith as a council member. The Mayor, John C. Bennett, gave his inaugural address and the first business was conducted. Bills were presented on the University of Nauvoo and Nauvoo Legion.

1843 - The Prophet Joseph spent the morning studying German. He then took a walk around the city and returned home to proof read the Doctrine and Covenants "which is now being stereotyped" (History of the Church, 5:264).

1845 - City elections were held in Nauvoo, Illinois. Orson Spencer was elected Mayor. Aldermen and Councilors were also chosen by a unanimous vote.

1846 - Brigham Young intended to prepare to leave Nauvoo, Illinois, for the west on this day. He left the Temple telling the brethren that they would build other temples in the west and that the work of the Nauvoo Temple was completed. "I walked some distance from the Temple supposing the crowd would disperse, but on returning I found the house filled to overflowing. Looking upon the multitude and knowing their anxiety, as they were thirsting and hungering for the word, we continued at work diligently in the House of the Lord. Two hundred and ninety-five persons received ordinances" (History of the Church, 7:579).

1851 - Brigham Young takes the oath of office as governor of the territory of Utah.

1885 - The Governor of Idaho, William M. Bunn, signs a law prohibiting Mormons from voting in Idaho.

1925 - The first Mission Home in Salt Lake City, Utah, is dedicated by Heber J. Grant.

1926 - The first of two important meetings (on February 3 and 8) of the Church Board of Education to decide the future of Church education was held. It was decided to expand the seminary program throughout the Church and to turn the junior colleges owned by the Church over to state governments. The colleges included Snow College in Ephraim, Utah, Weber College in Ogden, Utah, Dixie College in St. George, Utah, and Gila College in Thatcher, Arizona. Idaho refused to take Ricks College in Rexburg, Idaho, so the Church decides to keep it open.

1963 - The first stake in Wisconsin is organized in Milwaukee.

1977 - The first missionaries enter the Marshall Islands.

1998 - A gathering is held in Washington D.C. to celebrate BYU's publication of the first English translation of the Islamic text The Incoherence of the Philosophers by Al-Ghazali, a twelfth-century Muslim philosopher. In attendance was Elder Neal A. Maxwell, Elder Merrill J. Bateman, several LDS members of the U.S. Congress, and diplomats from ten predominantly Muslim countries.

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1831 - The Prophet Joseph Smith receives Doctrine and Covenants 41, which calls Edward Partridge as the first bishop of the Church and prepares the members for the "law" of the Church that would shortly be given to them.

1841 - The Nauvoo Legion was organized during a meeting held in Nauvoo, Illinois. Joseph Smith was elected Lieutenant-general of the Legion, with John C. Bennett, major-general. Wilson Law was elected brigadier-general and Don Carlos Smith brigadier-general. Other officers were appointed by the Lieutenant-general and the Legion was composed of six companies.

1846 - The first wagons of the Charles Shumway family crossed the Mississippi River, thus beginning the great Mormon Exodus from Nauvoo to the Salt Lake Valley. After crossing on ferries, they broke a trail westward traveling nine miles to the banks of Sugar Creek to await the arrival of Brigham Young. Also, the ship Brooklyn, under the leadership of Samuel Brannan, left New York with 238 Saints on board bound for California. Ten Saints would loose their life on this six month voyage around the southern tip of South America to the San Francisco Bay.

1851 - The state of Deseret passes an ordinance that incorporates The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

1902 - The First Presidency announces the policy that full-time missionaries need not pay tithing.

1996 - The Honaira Branch, the first branch of the Church in the Solomon Islands is organized.

2005 - The First Presidency presents a check for $1 million to Marsha J. Evans, the President of the American Red Cross, to be used for the Measles Initiative vaccination program to fight measles in Africa. The donation was a second part of a $3 million, 3-year commitment by the Church. In recognition of the Church's support, the Red Cross presented its highest honor for donors, the American Red Cross Circle of Humanitarians award, to the Church.

2007 - Elder John Pingree, an Area Seventy, addressed a gathering of Latter-day Saints who are deaf at the Conference Center Little Theater who had gathered in conjunction with the Winter Deaflympics being held in Utah. Two members of the Church, Justin Anderson of the Deaflympics Committee and Cherrie Hodson an assistant to the Deaflympics Committee, also spoke.

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1840 - The Prophet Joseph Smith preaches in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. His talk is partially recorded by a member of Congress, Mathew S. Davis. He writes that the Prophet taught that children were not capable of sinning and did not need baptism until the age of eight. He taught the plan of salvation and the Book of Mormon. Mr. Davis wrote, "I have changed my opinion of the Mormons. They are an injured and much-abused people" (History of the Church, 4:79).

1844 - As the mayor of Nauvoo, Joseph Smith met in the regular session of the Municipal Court serving as Chief Justice. The assessors of the city presented their tax-lists and "the court remitted the taxes of the widows and of the poor who were unable to pay" (History of the Church, 6:196). In the afternoon, the Prophet Joseph meets with William Weeks, architect of the Nauvoo Temple. In discussing the windows, the Prophet asked for round windows on the sides of the Temple. Brother Weeks said that round windows were against the known rules of architecture and that they needed to be semicircular. The Prophet replied, "I wish you to carry out my designs. I have seen in vision the splendid appearance of that building illuminated, and will have it built according to the pattern shown me" (History of the Church, 6:197). The Prophet also worked on revising his statement entitled "Views of the Powers and Policy of the Government of the United States" that was to be his political pamphlet of his candidacy for the presidency of the United States.

1977 - The First Presidency announces that the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles will direct ecclesiastical matters and that the Presiding Bishopric will oversee temporal programs of the Church.

1994 - The Church announces the launching of a television series that will make LDS programs available in 85 percent of the English-speaking homes across Canada during 1994 over the VISION/TV network.

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1833 - The Prophet Joseph, along with the other members of the First Presidency, Sidney Rigdon and Fredereick G. Williams, wrote a letter to the members of the Church living in Thompson, Ohio. The letter instructs the Saints to receive Salmon Gee who had been called to preside over the Thompson Branch, "Knowing that the Lord has appointed him to this office for your good, holding him up by your prayers, praying for him continually that he may be endowed with wisdom and understanding." The letter also encourages them to "continue in brotherly love, walk in meekness, watching unto prayer, that you be not overcome" (History of the Church, 1:324-325).

1836 - The High Priests and Elders Quorums were called to the Kirtland Temple to receive the sealing of all their blessings by the Prophet Joseph and to receive instructions on how to conduct their quorum meetings. There was a little trouble with the Elders Quorum which "caused the spirit of the Lord to withdraw." William Smith saw a vision of the Twelve Apostles doing a great work in England and that the Lord was already preparing the hearts of the people there for the Gospel. The Prophet records, "This was a time of rejoicing long to be remembered. Praise the Lord" (History of the Church, 2:392).

1839 - With the Prophet Joseph and his associates still in Liberty Jail, the committee on the removal of the Saints from Missouri continued to meet and plan for the removal of the poor from the State of Missouri.

1840 - The Prophet Joseph Smith preaches in Washington D. C.

1843 - The Prophet Joseph Smith is elected Mayor of the City of Nauvoo, Illinois. Orson Spencer, Daniel H. Wells, George A. Smith, and Stephen Markham were elected aldermen, with Hyrum Smith, John Taylor, Orson Hyde, Orson Pratt, Sylvester Emmons, Heber C. Kimball, Benjamin Warrington, Daniel Spencer, and Brigham Young elected councilors.

1851 - The cities of Ogden, Provo, Parowan, and Manti, were incorporated by the State of Deseret.

1855 - A festival honoring the Mormon Battalion was held in Salt Lake City, Utah.

1928 - The First Presidency authorizes the purchase of the Hill Cumorah near Palmyra, New York.

1993 - The first convert baptisms in Mongolia take place.

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1839 - Stephen Markham left Missouri with the Prophet's wife, Emma, and his children, taking them to Quincy, Illinois. The brethren in the Liberty Jail discussed escaping from the Jail. The Prophet Joseph prayed and received confirmation that if they were to escape that day when the jailer brought their food, they would succeed. All agreed except for Lyman Wight who asked them to stay another day. On this date, the jailer left the door wide open when he brought the food in giving them ample opportunity to escape, but they did not try after the agreement with Lyman Wight.

1844 - The Prophet met with the Twelve Apostles and Hyrum Smith to discuss his presidential campaign. He also completed his "Views of the Powers and Policy of the Government of the United States." An article appeared in the Warsaw Message apparently written by Wilson Law that discussed polygamy in a "very foul and malicious spirit" (History of the Church, 6:210). This was before the public announcement of the practice of plural marriage by members of the Church and increased the rumors of the practice in the Nauvoo area.

1846 - Brigham Young, President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, gives the last temple ordinances in the Nauvoo Temple. Over 5,600 Saints had received their temple blessings during the short time the Nauvoo Temple was used for temple work.

1849 - Elder Orson Hyde issues the first number of The Frontier Guardian, a semimonthly newspaper published in Kanesville, Iowa.

1901 - The LDS Business College in Salt Lake City, Utah, is dedicated by President Lorenzo Snow.

1921 - While attending a flag-raising ceremony at the mission school in Laie, Hawaii, Elder David O. McKay of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, envisions a university to be built in the community. It would open in September 1955 as the Church College of Hawaii, and later renamed Brigham Young University-Hawaii.

1957 - The first branch of the Church in Newfoundland, Canada, is organized at St. Johns.

2002 - Thousands crowded the street in front of the Church Administration Building in Salt Lake City, Utah, to witness the passing of the Olympic torch to the First Presidency on the steps of the building. Elder Robert D. Hales took the torch up the steps and handed it to President James E. Faust, who handed it to President Thomas S. Monson, who in turn, handed to President Gordon B. Hinckley who gave a few remarks of welcome. President Hinckley then handed it to Elder Neal A. Maxwell who carried it from the Administration Building through a cheering crowd. The Church Olympic theatrical event also opened at the Conference Center. Over 300,000 people would attend a performance of "Light of the World-A Celebration of Life."

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1835 - Brigham and Joseph Young visit with the Prophet Joseph Smith in his home. They sang for the Prophet, which he records brought the Spirit upon them. The Prophet then shares a vision in which he saw those who had died on Zion's Camp and said, "If I get a mansion as bright as theirs, I ask no more" (History of the Church, 2:181). He was very emotional and wept, unable to speak for a time. He also tells Brigham Young that he wants to hold a conference the following Saturday as he had a blessing to give those who had participated in Zion's Camp. He then stated that there would be an organization of Twelve Apostles to open the door of the Gospel to foreign nations and that Brigham would be one of them. He turned to Joseph Young and said that the Lord had made him President of the Seventies.

1839 - Around this time a mob gathered around Liberty Jail where the Prophet Joseph and other brethren were being held. They were yelling threats of violence and death to the brethren but "were so divided among themselves that they could not carry out any of their plans, and we escaped unhurt." Some of the brethren expressed fear to the Prophet Joseph who in turn promised them "not a hair of their heads should be hurt" (History of the Church, 3:258).

1843 - The Prophet Joseph visited with a couple from Michigan who thought that "a prophet is always a prophet." He taught them "that a prophet was a prophet only when he was acting as such" (History of the Church, 5:265). He visited with Parley P. Pratt and then went out and spent some time with his son Frederick sliding on the ice.

1844 - A political meeting was held in the Assembly Room where W. W. Phelps read Joseph Smith's political platform entitled "Views of the Powers and Policy of the General Government." The Prophet then stated that the only reason he was running for President of the United States was because of the persecution the Saints had received, and that "I feel it to be my right and privilege to obtain what influence and power I can, lawfully, in the United States, for the protections of injured innocence; and if I lose my life in a good cause I am willing to be sacrificed on the altar of virtue, righteousness and truth, in maintaining the laws and Constitution of the United States, if need be, for the general good of mankind" (History of the Church, 6:210-211).

1845 - Brigham Young, President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, met with the other members of the Council of Twelve in the southeast corner room of the attic of the Nauvoo Temple. There they knelt around the alter and dedicated the Temple as far as it had been completed. He also asked the Lord's blessings on their move west and that they would be able to finish the Temple and dedicate it to Him.

1886 - Approximately twenty U.S. deputy marshals search the Gardo House (the official residence of President John Taylor), the Tithing Yards, and various Church offices in an unsuccessful attempt to arrest Presidents John Taylor and George Q. Cannon.

1978 - The refurbished Church Administration Building was dedicated.

1990 - Elder Russell M. Nelson dedicates Romania for the preaching of the Gospel.

2002 - During his brief visit to Salt Lake City, Utah, to open the 2002 Olympic Winter Games, President George W. Bush and his wife Laura visited with the First Presidency at the Church Administration Building. They presented the President and Mrs. Bush with a copy of their family histories.

2006 - Gladys Knight and the Saints Unified Voices Choir, won a Grammy Award for the Best Gospel Choir Album for their debut CD "One Voice."

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1800 - Hyrum Smith is born in Tunbridge, Vermont. The Prophet Joseph Smith's older brother was one of the Eight Witnesses of the Book of Mormon, Church Patriarch, and Assistant President of the Church. He died in Carthage Jail with his younger brother, June 27, 1844.

1831 - The Prophet Joseph receives portions of Doctrine and Covenants 42, called by Joseph "the law of the Church." This revelation contains instructions concerning the law of consecration and stewardship.

1834 - The Prophet Joseph attended a conference of priesthood holders in the New Portage, Ohio, area held in the home of Brother Kirlins. It was decided that the Saints in New Portage should support the building of the Lord's house in Kirtland and that a stake and meeting place should not be established, only a "temporary or cheap place for meeting in Portage" (History of the Church, 2:24-25).

1841 - The Nauvoo House Association is incorporated according to the revelation known as Doctrine and Covenants 124. It was to raise money to build the Nauvoo House, a hotel described to be "a delightful habitation for man, and a resting-place for the weary traveler, that he may contemplate the glory of Zion, and, the glory of this, the corner-stone thereof" (Doctrine and Covenants 124:60).

1843 - The Prophet Joseph receives a revelation on the correct nature of ministering angels and spirits and the three grand keys for the detection of angels and false spirits. This revelation is known as Doctrine and Covenants 129.

1846 - Wagons continued to cross the Mississippi River for the west by flat-boat. The wagon of Thomas Grover ended up in the river, near the landing on the Iowa side, when someone squirted some tobacco juice in the eyes of one of the oxen causing the ox to plunge into the river. Two oxen were drowned and a few items floated away, but the wagon was saved, although its contents were damaged. In the afternoon, the Nauvoo Temple roof caught fire from an overheated stovepipe. The brethren were able to get the fire out before much damage was done. Several troops from the governors army came into the city and tried entering the Temple, but the brethren were successful in keeping them from doing so.

1919 - The United States Congress awards Private Thomas C. Neibur the Medal of Honor, making him the first Latter-day Saint and the first private in the U.S. Army to receive the award.

1972 - The Provo Utah Temple is dedicated by President Joseph Fielding Smith.

2002 - As part of the 2002 Cultural Olympiad, the Tabernacle Choir and the Orchestra at Temple Square performed the first of four concerts in the Tabernacle on Temple Square in Salt Lake City, Utah. They shared the stage with opera star Frederica von Stade; composer and music director John Williams; the U.S. Army Herald Trumpets, and the Salt Lake International Children's Choir. Also on this date, the First Presidency met with United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan to discuss the Church's humanitarian aid efforts in several areas of the world.

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1836 - Hyrum Smith severely cut himself with an ax on his left arm by accident. The Prophet Joseph hurried to Hyrum's house to check on him. He was grateful that it wasn't worse and asked Heavenly Father to bless his father's family and to heal his brother.

1837 - The Prophet Joseph signed Kirtland Safety Society Bank notes.

1838 - In a meeting of the High Council and the Bishop's Council, it was moved and voted that Thomas B. Marsh and David W. Patten act as presidents of the Church in Missouri until the Prophet Joseph Smith arrives. The presidency of the Church in Missouri, David Whitmer, John Whitmer, and Willaim W. Phelps, had been removed from office by a vote of the members for misconduct. The Prophet and his family were on their way to Far West, Missouri, after fleeing Kirtland, Ohio.

1844 - Due to increased use of the assembly room in the Red Brick Store for religious purposes, the school ran by Mr. Cole was asked to move to another location. The Prophet Joseph attended a prayer meeting in the assembly room where he prayed for Sister Richards and others who were sick. (History of the Church, 6:211).

1846 - Joseph Young, brother of Brigham Young, is appointed to preside temporarily over the Church in Nauvoo as the Twelve Apostles would soon leave the city for the west.

1870 - The Utah territorial legislature passes an act allowing women to vote in Utah.

1919 - The First Presidency writes a letter to stake presidents urging them to encourage the members to increase the number of missionaries because of the conclusion of World War I.

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1836 - The Prophet Joseph spent the morning in school studying Hebrew. His afternoon was spent in reading and exhibiting the Egyptian records to several people who called at his home to see them.

1841 - Joseph Smith performed the wedding of Philo Dibble and Hannah Ann Dubois Smith at his home, and his wife, Emma Smith, prepared a wedding supper for a large party of friends assembled. (Early Scenes in Church History, p. 92). Also, Daniel Browett was set apart by Elders Brigham Young, Willard Richards, and John Taylor, to lead a company of Saints from England, onboard the ship Echo, to Nauvoo, via New Orleans. (History of the Church, 4:297

1843 - The Prophet Joseph attended the city council meeting as the newly elected mayor of the City of Nauvoo. He encouraged the new city council on "relieving the city from all unnecessary expenses and burdens, and not attempt to improve the city, but enact such ordinances as would promote peace and good order; and the people would improve the city; capitalists would come in from all quarters and build mills, factories, and machinery of all kinds; new buildings would arise on every hand, and Nauvoo would become a great city" (History of the Church, 5:270). The Prophet also recorded that his mother, Lucy Mack Smith, moved into his home on this date.

1900 - The Church holds services in the Tabernacle on Temple Square in Salt Lake City, Utah, to honor Utah soldiers killed in Manila during the Spanish-American War.

1921 - While touring the Kilauea Volcano in Hawaii, Elder David O. McKay felt impressed by the Spirit to move those with him away from a ledge overlooking the volcano just moments before the ledge collapses into the volcano.

1973 - The 600th stake of the Church is organized in Southampton, England.

2002 - The president of the Republic of Finland, Tarja Halonen, in Salt Lake City for the 2002 Winter Olympic Games, met with President Hinckley prior to an official Olympic Banquet of Finland held in Sandy, Utah. A 100-voice men's choir of returned missionaries who had served in Finland since 1946, performed at the banquet.

2005 - Church member Michael O. Leavitt is sworn in as the Secretary of Health and Human Services in the cabinet of United States President George W. Bush.

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1833 - Joseph Smith wrote a strongly worded letter to N. C. Saxton, editor of the American Revivalist and Rochester Observer, who printed only part of a letter Joseph had sent for publication (Personal Writings of Joseph Smith, p. 299-300).

1834 - The Prophet Joseph Smith set in a council of High Priests and Elders at his home in Kirtland, Ohio. He remarked on the role of councils in the disciplining of their fellow brethren and that "no man is capable of judging a matter, in council, unless his own heart is pure; and that we are frequently so filled with prejudice, or have a beam in our own eye, that we are not capable of passing right decisions" (History of the Church, 2:25). The council then proceeded to hear the charges against several brethren, encouraging them and forgiving them.

1836 - The Prophet Joseph met with several of the quorums in the Kirtland Temple and discussed the worthiness to be ordained to the ministry. He stated the Lord was not pleased with those who were desiring to be ordained who had not been called to serve.. He then discussed those who had been called and ordained who, being over zealous without knowledge, bring dishonor upon themselves and the Church.

1843 - A group of seven or eight young men, some from New York City, visited Nauvoo and the Prophet Joseph Smith. He showed them the "fallacy of Mr. Miller's data concerning the coming of Christ" who had predicted the time Jesus Christ was to return to the earth. He informed the young men that Mr. Miller "was in want of correct information upon the subject, and that he was not so much to blame as the translators [of the Bible]" (History of the Church, 5:272). He then taught them that all the prophecies must be fulfilled before the Savior would come again.

1844 - As mayor, Joseph Smith sat in city council and recommended the repeal of several ordinances, and the repeal was approved. The Memorial to Congress approved in December by the council concerning the afflictions of the Saints in Missouri, was again read and then signed by all the Nauvoo city leadership. Joseph then instructed Councilor Orson Pratt to meet with representatives and leaders in Washington D.C. and share with them the stories of the Saints in Missouri and demand redress. Councilor Orson Pratt then nominated George P. Stiles as councilor during his absence, which was approved.. (History of the Church, 6:212)..

1846 - The Twelve Apostles continued to prepare to move west. Other groups of Saints were crossing the Mississippi River into Iowa as quickly as the weather and boats could carry them. It was a slow and dangerous process during the coldest season of the year.

1849 - President Brigham Young calls and ordains to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles Charles C. Rich, Lorenzo Snow, Erastus Snow, and Franklin D. Richards, to fill the vacancies left by the reorganization of the First Presidency and apostasy.

1851 - The provisional state of Deseret authorizes the procurement of a block of marble to be used in building the Washington Monument under construction in Washington D.C.

1870 - Acting Governor S. A. Mann signs an act of the territorial legislature granting Utah women the right to vote in state held elections.

1955 - The site for building the Church College of Hawaii, later Brigham Young University-Hawaii, is dedicated by President David O. McKay during a groundbreaking service.

1989 - The First Presidency announces that worthy unendowed members whose spouses are not members of the Church, or are not worthy to enter the temple, may receive their individual endowments.

2005 - President Gordon B. Hinckley spoke by satellite from Salt Lake City to thousands of Church members gathered in meetinghouses across Australia.

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1838 - The Prophet Joseph and his family, along with Sidney Rigdon and his family, continued on their journey from Kirtland, Ohio, from which they had fled for their lives, towards Far West, Missouri.

1839 - The committee organized to help the poor Saints leave Missouri continued their work of contacting those who wished to leave Missouri and did not have the means to do so. Theodore Turley was appointed to superintend the management of the teams that had been provided for removing the poor, and to see to those things they needed to make the journey. The Prophet Joseph and his companions continued to be held in Liberty Jail.

1841 - Elder Orson Hyde of the Quorum of Twelve Apostles, and his companion Elder George J. Adams, set sail from New York City for Liverpool, England, on a mission to the Holy Land.

1843 - The Prophet Joseph spent the day in various activities including a walk around Nauvoo with Orson Hyde and dealing with city issues. The evening was spent at Orson Hyde's home with several brethren in conversation. A Brother Dixon from Salem, Massachusetts became upset with some of the things Joseph said including his comments concerning the rich who came to Nauvoo and refused counsel from the Church and "must be cut off" (History of the Church, 5:272-273).

1988 - A monument honoring the pioneer founders of Mesa, Arizona, is dedicated.

1990 - Bulgaria is dedicated for the preaching of the Gospel by Elder Russell M. Nelson.

1994 - The First Presidency announces plans to convert the Uintah Tabernacle into the Vernal Utah Temple.

2000 - An observation of the 200th anniversary of the birth of Hyrum Smith is held in the Assembly Hall on Temple Square in Salt Lake City, Utah. The 3,200 who attended heard President Gordon B. Hinckley and Elder M. Russell Ballard, a second-great-grandson of Hyrum, speak.

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1831 - About this time, "a woman came making great pretensions of revealing commandments, laws and other curious matters." The Prophet Joseph inquired of the Lord on how to handle these type of situations. In response, he received a revelation known at Doctrine and Covenants 43. It states that revelations and commandments are to come only through the appointed leader of the Church. It also includes other counsel and teachings from the Lord.

1835 - During a meeting held in Kirtland, Ohio, of those who had served in Zion's Camp, the Three Witnesses of the Book of Mormon-Oliver Cowdery, David Whitmer, and Martin Harris----having been given the assignment from the Lord to choose the first members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles from among those who had served in Zion's Camp, choose the following who were called: Lyman E. Johnson, Brigham Young, Heber C. Kimball, Orson Hyde, David W. Patten, Luke E. Johnson, William E. McLellin, John F. Boynton, Orson Pratt, William Smith, Thomas P. Marsh, Parley P. Pratt. Three of the newly called Apostles, Lyman E. Johnson, Brigham Young, and Heber C. Kimball, were in attendance and were ordained by the Three Witnesses to the Apostleship.

1836 - Baptisms and confirmations were conducted by the Prophet Joseph Smith and regular Sunday meetings were held where the Presidents of the Seventy "expressed their feelings on the occasion, and their faith in the Book of Mormon and the revelations" (History of the Church, 2:395).

1839 - Members of the Church continue to leave Missouri because of the extermination order of Governor Boggs. On this date, the families of Brigham Young, Heber C. Kimball, along with several other families, leave Far West, Missouri, for Quincy, Illinois. The Prophet Joseph's parents, Joseph Smith Sr. and Lucy Mack Smith, also started for Quincy on this date.

1841 - A conference of the Church was held in London, England, with Elders Heber C. Kimball, Wilford Woodruff, and Lorenzo Snow in attendance.

1844 - The Prophet Joseph Smith spoke to a large group in the assembly room and presented his "Views of the Powers and Policy of the Government of the United States" and spoke of his running for the office of President of the United States.

1853 - Ground is broken for the construction of the Salt Lake Temple by President Brigham Young.

1870 - Seraph C. Young becomes the first woman to vote legally in the United States during a municipal election in Salt Lake City, Utah.

1901 - President Lorenzo Snow announces plans to open Japan to missionary work.

1932 - President Heber J. Grant addressed people in the eastern United States by radio in Washington D.C.. As he was limited in his time, he read the thirteen Articles of Faith and made brief comments on several of them.

1998 - President Gordon B. Hinckley begins an eight-day tour of African nations, visiting Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, Zimbabwe, and South Africa. He is the first President of the Church to travel to the Western part of Africa.

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1828 - The Prophet Joseph Smith gave Martin Harris a copy of some characters from the gold plates, which Martin took to show scholars in New York City, thus fulfilling the prophecy in Isaiah 29.

1835 - After being chosen by the Three Witnesses on the previous day, Orson Hyde, David W. Patten, Luke S. Johnson, William E. McLellin, John F. Boynton, and William Smith are ordained members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.

1839 - Emma Smith and her children arrive safely in Quincy, Illinois, after walking across Missouri to flee the mobs.

1842 - The first issue of the Times and Seasons newspaper with Joseph Smith as editor was published.

1843 - The Prophet Joseph published a letter in the Times and Seasons concerning the persecutions he has received over the years. Later, accompanied by Elders Orson Hyde and Parley P. Pratt, and others, he started towards Shokoquon, Illinois, by sleigh. It was bitter cold and they nearly turned back, but they continued on and stayed at the home of a Mr. Rose.

1844 - The Times and Seasons printed an article listing the reasons for the candidacy of the Prophet Joseph Smith for President of the United States.

1846 - Brigham Young, President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, takes his family and crosses the Mississippi River, leaving Nauvoo for the west. They travel nine miles to the camp of the Saints on Sugar Creek. Willard Richards and his family and George A. Smith also crossed the river.

1970 - The first branch of the Church in Indonesia is organized at Jakarta.

1987 - The Mormon Tabernacle Choir performs its three thousandth radio broadcast. They have the longest running network program in America.

1989 - The mayor Quincy, Illinois, officially declares this "Latter-day Saints Day" in commemoration of the refuge the residents of Quincy provided the Saints as they fled Missouri 150 years earlier.

2001 - The First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve released a series of guidelines to reaffirm the centrality of the Savior in the name of the Church and how Church members are identified. Church members, news organizations and others were asked to use the full name of the Church.

[Hemidakota]

1832 - While working on the inspired translation the Gospel of John, particularly John 5:20-40, the Prophet Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon receive a vision that comprises Doctrine and Covenants 76. In the vision they see the Savior on the right hand of God, events in the premortal life, and the three degrees of glory. (History of the Church, 1:245-252).

1835 - Joseph Smith saw in vision the order of the priesthood and the postmortal condition of those who died in Zion's Camp. (Opening the Heavens, p. 313)

1843 - The Prophet and his party continued on to Shokoquon. The sleigh of Elder Pratt and Hyde overturned and the horse broke away. Elder Hyde hurt his hand, the horse was caught, and they continued on. They visited Shokoquon, Illinois, and found is a desirable location for a city to built. On the return trip, while stopped for a break, the horse of one of the sleighs reared up and jump the sleigh in front of it as the Prophet and his passengers jumped from it. The horses ran, the sleighs came off, and they "had their frolic out without hurting themselves or drivers" (History of the Church, 5:278). They stayed at Mr. Rose's again.

1846 - Brigham Young organizes the Camp of Israel at Sugar Creek, Iowa, in preparation for the trek west. Sugar Creek had plenty of timber and water and was a good place to set up a base camp for the Saints as they left Nauvoo.

1983 - Relief Society general president Barbara B. Smith receives the BYU Exemplary Womanhood Award.

[Hemidakota]

1834 - The first stake of the Church was established in Kirtland, Ohio, with Joseph Smith, Sidney Rigdon, and Frederick G. Williams as the stake presidency. The high council consisted of Joseph Smith, Sr., John Smith, Joseph Coe, John Johnson, Martin Harris, John S. Carter, Jared Carter, Oliver Cowdery, Samuel H. Smith, Orson Hyde, Sylvester Smith, and Luke S. Johnson. The minutes of this meeting were recorded as Doctrine and Covenants 102.

1835 - The Prophet Joseph Smith and his counselors approved the publication of the 1835 edition of the Doctrine and Covenants.

1836 - The Prophet Joseph attended school in the Temple. He writes, "My soul delights in reading the word of the Lord in the original, and I am determined to pursue the study of the languages, until I shall become master of them, if I am permitted to live long enough" (History of the Church, 2:396).

1843 - The Prophet Joseph and his group return to Nauvoo after visiting the Shokoquon area as a possible location for a city to be built. Mr. Cowan, who traveled to Nauvoo with the Prophet, proposed to give him one-fourth of the city lots of Shokoquon for the Saints to build on. The emphasis on Nauvoo and the later movement to the west would keep the Saints from helping build the city.

1844 - The Prophet Joseph Smith wrote an article called "Pacific Innuendo," which gave a brief history of the Church in Illinois and explained the Church's desire for peace with all people. He wrote, "Wise men ought to have understanding enough to conquer men with kindness" and "Our motto, then, is Peace with all!" (History of the Church, 6:219-220). In contrast, the anti-Mormons held a convention in Carthage, Illinois, to devise a plan to expel the Saints from the state.

1846 - Brigham Young was busy organizing the Camp of Israel in Sugar Creek, Iowa. In the morning he spoke to the Saints from a wagon saying "We will have no laws we cannot keep, but we will have order in the camp." In the afternoon, several of the Twelve Apostles in the camp met in council to discuss a proposal from Samuel Brannan concerning the move to the west. He had negotiated a contract that would give half the lots in the new city over to A. G. Benson and Company, a land development company, in exchange for the guarantee from the government that they would not stand in the way of their move west. The Apostles discussed the contract and felt it was not desirable, but that they would place their trust in God and not sign an "unjust and oppressive agreement" (History of the Church, 7:591).

1847 - Brigham Young, as President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, has a dream at Council Bluffs, Iowa. Joseph Smith appeared to him and asks him to tell the Saints "to be humble and faithful, and be sure to keep the Spirit of the Lord and it will lead them right. Be careful and not turn away the small still voice; it will teach them what to do and where to go; it will yield the fruits of the kingdom. . . . Tell the brethren that if they will follow the spirit of the Lord, they will go right" (Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Brigham Young, p. 41).

1855 - John Taylor publishes the first issue of a newspaper entitled The Mormon in New York City, New York.

1998 - President Gordon B. Hinckley visits Kenya. Church members from Somalia travel to Kenya to join their fellow Saints in welcoming the Prophet and to listen to his words.

2007 - Four missionaries near Port Harcourt, Nigeria, are kidnaped from their apartment and held four days. Local Church leaders worked with other local and tribal leaders to bring them home safely. The missionaries are: Akande Adebayo Egunjobi and Emeka Henry Ekufu, of Lagos, and Uchenna Anthony Eze and Hope Aiboni Isaiah, of Nigeria.

[Hemidakota]

1839 - The governor of Missouri, Lilburn Boggs, orders the arms of the Saints that had been confiscated be returned to their rightful owners. Most of the owners had already fled Missouri and it would be difficult to prove who the rightful owners were.

1842 - Joseph Smith attended and spoke at a Nauvoo City Council meeting on "the great privileges of the Nauvoo Charter" (History of the Church, 4:516).

1843 - The Prophet Joseph spent the day at home and his office where several called for counsel from him. While at dinner with family and friends, the Prophet first taught "that when the earth was sanctified and became like a sea of glass, it would be one great urim and thummim, and the Saints could look on it and see as they are seen." Also, Brigham Young wrote a letter from the Twelve Apostles to members of the Church in Laharpe, Illinois, asking for their help in supplying food for the Prophet Joseph's family. He wrote that Joseph "has nothing now to hinder his devoting his time to the History of the Church and the spiritual interest thereof, except he has to spend his time in gathering food for his family." Brigham added their duty was to help the Prophet, "that he may attend to the business of the Church, and devote his whole time to the spiritual affairs thereof" (History of the Church, 5:279-280).

1846 - The brethren continued to get organized at Sugar Creek for the move west. They planned on being to the Missouri River by spring to prepare for the continued trek west. After a day of meetings and instruction, Brigham Young and a few other brethren went back to Nauvoo for a prayer meeting in the Temple.

1887 - The Edmunds-Tucker Act becomes law without the signature of United States president Grover Cleveland. This antipolgamy law unincorporates the Church, dissolves the Perpetual Emigrating Fund Company and escheats its property to the government, abolishes female voting rights in Utah Territory, and allows the government to confiscate practically all the property of the Church. The Church as a legal entity ceases to exist.

1979 - The Nauvoo Illinois Stake, the one thousandth stake of the Church, is organized by President Ezra Taft Benson, President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.

1981 - King Taufa'ahau Tupou IV joins President Spencer W. Kimball in breaking ground for the Nuku'alofa Tonga Temple. Nearly seven thousand people attend the ceremony.

[Hemidakota]

1793 - Sidney Rigdon is born in St. Clair, Pennsylvania.

1834 - The newly called Kirtland High Council met for the first time. The Prophet Joseph gave instructions and then blessed each of the twelve councilors. He also blessed his assistant presidents. Joseph received a blessing from his father. Other blessings were also given. Joseph then gave those present "a solemn charge to do their duty in righteousness, and in the fear of God." They then heard their first complaint, hearing both sides against Elder Curtis Hodges, Sen.. He was found guilty of the charges against him. He repented of his error and said that he would mend his ways. The council then forgave him and adjourned.

1835 - The Prophet Joseph and others continue in their Hebrew school. Professor Seixas seemed pleased with their progress and spent a good part of the day conversing with the Prophet on religion.

1837 - Joseph Smith addressed the Saints in the Kirtland Temple by the power of God. (Wilford Woodruff Journal, vol. 1).

1843 - Elder William Henshaw, under the direction of Elder Lorenzo Snow, traveled to Glamorganshire, South Wales, and began privately teaching several families there. On this date he baptized his first converts in Wales and began preaching publicly. However, only about one-third of the people he taught understood English.

1981 - President Spencer W. Kimball, assisted by Malieotoa Tanumafil II, the Samoan head of state, breaks ground for the Apia Samoa Temple. Nearly 4,000 attend.

1994 - The First Presidency issues a statement opposing efforts to legalize same-sex marriages in

the United States.

1995 - The Cadiz Spain Stake is organized which encompassed the island of Gibraltar.

[Hemidakota]

1834 - The Kirtland High Council met to consider whether someone who did not keep the Word of Wisdom could be allowed to hold office in the Church. After the discussion, the decision made was that a person, having been properly taught the Word of Wisdom and then disregarding it, could not hold a position in the Church.

1840 - The Prophet Joseph Smith leaves Washington, D.C. to return to Nauvoo, Illinois. He had gone to Washington, D.C., leaving Nauvoo, Illinois, on October 29, 1839, to petition United States president Martin Van Buren and the U.S. Congress to redress the Saints for their losses from being driven from Missouri.

1843 - While holding mayor's court, the Prophet Joseph saw two boys fighting through the window. He left the court and ran over to stop them from fighting. He gave them "proper instruction" and then chastised the bystanders for not interfering and stopping the fight, that they were "to quell all disturbances in the street at the first onset." He returned to the courtroom and "told them that nobody was allowed to fight in Nauvoo but myself" (History of the Church, 5:282-283).

1844 - The Prophet Joseph met in council with the Twelve Apostles and others on various topics. The Prophet Joseph writes, "I instructed the Twelve Apostles to send out a delegation and investigate the locations of California and Oregon, and hunt out a good location, where we can remove to after the temple is completed, and where we can build a city in a day, and have a government of our own, get up into the mountains, where the devil cannot dig us out, and live in a healthful climate, where we can live as old an we have a mind to" (History of the Church, 6:222). An anti-Mormon group met in Carthage, Illinois and set the date of the second Saturday in March for a "wolf-hunt," it also being the day for fasting and prayer for the "destruction" of Joseph Smith.

1907 - After a five year battle, the U.S. Senate votes to allow Elder Reed Smoot, a member of the Quorum of Twelve Apostles and elected Senator from Utah, to retain his seat in the Senate. The fight to allow him to sit as a Senator had resulted from easily disproved accusations of practicing plural marriage.

1937 - Elder Wilford C. Wood purchased for the Church the first of ten lots comprising the original Temple site in Nauvoo, Illinois.

1977 - The first stake in Belgium is organized in Brussels.

1999 - The First Presidency announces that a temple would be built in Palmyra, New York, where the Prophet Joseph Smith received his First Vision and the gold plates that he would translate as The Book of Mormon.

[Hemidakota]

1835 - Parley P. Pratt, called on February 14 to be an Apostle, is ordained an Apostle by the Prophet Joseph Smith, Oliver Cowdery, and David Whitmer. (History of the Church, 2:191-192).

1836 - The Prophet Joseph spent the day "in reading, meditation and prayer." He studied Hebrew and writes that many of those who were enemies of the Church were beginning to show and interest in the Church and were becoming friendly. (History of the Church, 2:398)

1841 - Joseph Taylor recorded that the Prophet Joseph prophesied to his worried mother that her son John would safely return from jail within a week after having been imprisoned in Missouri for six months; he returned six days later (Juvenile Instructor, 27:202).

1843 - The Prophet Joseph spoke to the workers on the Nauvoo House and encouraged them in completing it saying, "the building of the Nauvoo House is just as sacred in my view as the Temple." He also spoke of the rumors and stories going around Nauvoo and asked that they be stopped. He also talked of his persecution over the years. He also states, "In relation to politics, I will speak as a man; but in relation to religion I will speak in authority"(History of the Church, 5:285).

1844 - The Prophet Joseph again met with the Twelve Apostles to discuss sending a company of men to look for a location in the west for the Saints to move to. Several brethren were chosen and volunteered for the journey. They were requested to meet with the Twelve a couple days later. In the evening, the Prophet Joseph attended a lecture in the assembly room above the Red Brick Store given by an Episcopalian reverend, Mr. De Wolfe. The Prophet then spoke on the importance of obedience to God saying, "The object with me is to obey and teach others to obey God in just what HE tells us to do. It mattereth not whether the principle is popular or unpopular, I will always maintain a true principle, even if I stand alone in it" (History of the Church, 6:223).

1977 - President Spencer W. Kimball begins a nineteen-day tour of Latin America, attending area conferences and meeting with the heads of state in Mexico, Guatemala, Chile, and Bolivia.

1990 - The Czechoslovakian government renews recognition of the Church; it had originally been granted in 1928.

1999 - President Gordon B. Hinckley addressed a missionary broadcast over the Church satellite system that focused on two responsibilities: the finding and friendshipping of new investigators and the responsibility of holding on to each convert.

2004 - In what may have been the largest member meeting held outside the United States, President Gordon B. Hinckley spoke to a reported 60,000 members assembled in the Pacaembu Stadium in Sao Paulo, Brazil. The program was also carried by satellite to tens of thousands of members gathered at 184 stake centers and 13 districts throughout Brazil.

[Hemidakota]

1834 - Parley P. Pratt and Lyman Wight arrive in Kirtland, Ohio, after a five-week journey from Missouri to inform the leaders of the Church that Missouri Governor Daniel Dunklin is willing to help restore the Saints to their property in Jackson County, from which they had been driven in November 1833.

1836 - During the morning, the Prophet Joseph attended Hebrew class and then filled out the records for eleven marriages he had solemnized during the last three months. He also baptized John O. Waterman. He spent the afternoon translating the Bible with his scribe, Warren Parrish. In the afternoon the sisters in Kirtland met to make the veils of the Temple. The veils were white canvas curtains that divided the main floor of the Temple into four sections. This was so several meetings could be held at one time in the Temple. There were also curtains to separate the pulpits from the rest of the room. The Prophet reports that the lower room of the Temple is ready to be painted.

1838 - The Prophet Joseph and his family are crossing Illinois and approaching Missouri during their move from Kirtland, Ohio, to Far West, Missouri, due to persecution.

1841 - The Nauvoo City Council passed an ordinance turning over all "matters and powers whatever in relation to common schools, and all other institutions of learning within the City of Nauvoo" be turned over to the regents of the University of the City of Nauvoo.

1843 - Brother Abel Owen presented Joseph Smith a claim for a large amount. The Church nor the Prophet Joseph were obligated to pay the debt, however, he said he was poor and was not able to work. The Prophet Joseph told him that if he dropped the claim, he would provide for him. He then gave a note to him for $15.00 worth of provisions to help him.

1849 - The original nineteen wards in the Salt Lake Valley are organized. The patterned used became a model for future establishment of Church wards and stakes throughout the world.

1970 - The first stake in Peru is organized in Lima.

1987 - President Ezra Taft Benson addresses the mothers of the Church in a fireside for parents broadcast over the Church satellite network, urging them to fulfill the Lord's commandments regarding their families.

1990 - The African country of Lesotho is dedicated for the preaching of the gospel by Elder Neal A. Maxwell, and the Caribbean islands of Trinidad and Tobago are dedicated by Elder M. Russell Ballard.

2002 - President Gordon B. Hinckley is interviewed by NBC news anchor Tom Brokaw and aired during prime time coverage of the Winter Olympic Games. The interview also showed photos of the Salt Lake Temple, Mormon Tabernacle Choir, Welfare Square, and other Church related items.

2004 - The Sao Paulo Brazil Temple is rededicated by President Gordon B. Hinckley after an extensive renovation that included adding a statue of the Angel Moroni to its spire.

[Hemidakota]

1836 - The Prophet Joseph gave some remarks in the Kirtland Temple upon the rise and progress of the Church and pronounced a blessing upon the women who were working, "so cheerfully," to make the veil or curtains for the Temple.

1841 - An act to establish the Nauvoo House Association is approved on this date by the State of

Illinois.

1842 - The Prophet Joseph Smith met with Reuben Hedlock and gave him instructions concerning the printers cut for the facsimiles from the records of Abraham to be published in the Times and Seasons.

1844 - The Prophet Joseph met with the Twelve Apostles, Sidney Rigdon, Hyrum Smith, and others and discussed the exploration of the West for settlement of the Saints. He told them he wanted all the mountain country explored and that he wanted "every man that goes to be a king and a priest. When he gets on the mountains he may want to talk with his God" (History of the Church, 6:224). Several of the brethren present volunteered to go.

1845 - A Sunday meeting was held at Bishop Hale's in Nauvoo, Illinois, where "Mother Smith" (Lucy Mack Smith) gave a recital of the persecutions endured by her family in the establishment of the Church and exhorted the parents to bring up their children in the way they should go. (History of the Church, 7:375).

1846 - At the camp of the Saints at Sugar Creek, Iowa, Brigham Young met with the captains of hundreds about starting the move to the west. A group was sent out to find the next camp and returned and reported a nice camp about ten miles to the west. A group was sent out to find grain for the camp. It reported corn could be purchased at 18 3/4 cents, a higher price than it was available in Montrose. The Hancock Eagle newspaper reported that "the Twelve with their thousands of followers have abandoned their Temple and their city" and that "Two or three thousand have already left" the City of Nauvoo for the west.

1856 - George Q. Cannon publishes the first issue of The Western Standard, a Church newspaper published in San Francisco, California.

1990 - The South American country of Guyana is dedicated by Elder M. Russell Ballard for the preaching of the gospel.

2002 - Ground was broken for the Aba Nigeria Temple by Elder H. Bruce Stucki of the Seventy. Church leaders were joined by state and local governmental leaders, tribal chiefs, and 2,000 people to witness the event.

2006 - Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles dedicates the Lao People's Democratic Republic for the work of the gospel.

[prospectmom]

Thanks Hemi... you gave some substance to my morning

[Hemidakota]

1834 - The Prophet Joseph receives the revelation known as Doctrine and Covenants 103, which calls for the organization of Zion's Camp. Zion's Camp was a company of men who would travel to Missouri for the purpose of assisting the Saints in reclaiming their property in Jackson County. The High Council of Kirtland, Ohio, met and listened to Lyman Wight and Parley P. Pratt, who had just arrived from Missouri, relate the events and hardships the Saints in Jackson County had experienced while being driven from their homes. The Prophet then stood and asked for the support of the High Council in organizing a company of men to go to Missouri according to the revelation he had received. It was approved unanimously to support the effort.

1843 - The Prophet Joseph dictated an answer to W. W. Phelps Vade Mecum, or "God with Me," a poem that had been printed in the Times and Seasons. The Prophet's poetic answer included the revelation known as Doctrine and Covenants 76 with some additional commentary on the three degrees of glory.

1844 - Fifteen hundred copies of the Prophet Joseph's "Views of the Powers and Policy of the United States" came of the press ready for distribution by the Elders of the Church. The Prophet records that the weather had been very pleasant, "the pleasantest February I ever saw" (History of the Church, 6:224).

1846 - The weather had turned extremely cold as the thermometer reached 12 degrees below zero at 7 P.M. in the encampment of Saints at Sugar Creek, Iowa. A son was born to John Redding during the cold and snowstorm of the day. It was recorded that the Mississippi river had frozen over above Montrose. Meanwhile, John Atlantic Burr was born to Sarah Burr aboard the ship Brooklyn en route from New York to California. The Brooklyn was carrying Mormon emigrants to the west traveling by sea around the tip of South America.

1858 - Colonel Thomas L. Kane, a nonmember friend of the Prophet Joseph Smith and the Church, arrives in Salt Lake City, Utah. His purpose was to negotiate peace between the Church and the U.S. Army that had been sent to Utah to seize control of the territory and bring down the "Mormon rebellion."

1937 - Hilton A. and Hazel Robertson arrive in Hawaii to make preparations to reopen the Japanese Mission that had been closed in 1924. Japanese converts living in Hawaii were prepared so that the mission could be reopened as soon as World War II was over.

1990 - Elder Russell M. Ballard dedicates the South American country of Suriname for the preaching of the gospel.

2002 - The Salt Lake Olympic Winter Games come to an end. Thousands of members of the Church had participated as volunteers welcoming the world to Salt Lake City, Utah. Latter-day Saint athletes from six countries participated with Joe Pack of Park City, Utah, winning a silver medal in aerial ski jumping. The closing ceremonies included a fun celebration with fireworks around the Salt Lake Valley, giving the world a view of the beauty and wonder of Utah.

2005 - President Boyd K. Packer and Elder David A. Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve begin a five day visit to areas in Indonesia destroyed by the tsunami on December 26, 2004.