Today in Church History: March

[Hemidakota]

Today in Church History: 01 March

1807 - Wilford Woodruff, fourth President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is born in Avon, Connecticut.

1832 - The Prophet Joseph records, "About the first of March, in connection with the translation of the scriptures, I received the following explanation of the Revelation of St." (History of the Church, 1:253). The revelation is recorded as Doctrine and Covenants 77.

1835 - At a meeting of the Kirtland High Council, the Prophet Joseph gave an address on worthiness to partake of the sacrament, the"propriety of this institution in the Church, and urged the importance of doing it with acceptance before the Lord" (History of the Church, 2:204). After partaking of the Sacrament, the Prophet Joseph continued the ordination of the newly called members of the Quorum of Seventy.

1841 - The City of Nauvoo was divided into four wards as political boundaries within the city. The city council also passed an "Ordinance on Religious Liberty in Nauvoo" insuring all religions "shall have free toleration, and equal privileges, in this city" (History of the Church, 4:306).

1842 - The Prophet Joseph prepares for publication of the Wentworth Letter, which includes a brief history of the Church and the Articles of Faith, and the first part of the Book of Abraham in the Church periodical Times and Seasons, in Nauvoo, Illinois. The Wentworth Letter included a brief history of the Church and included the now canonized Articles of Faith found in the Pearl of Great Price. The Book of Abraham was canonized in 1880 and included in the Pearl of Great Price. In the evening, the Prophet spent the evening with the members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and their wives at the home of Wilford Woodruff where he "explained many important principles in relation to progressive improvement in the scale of intelligent existence" (History of the Church, 4:519).

1846 - Under the direction of Brigham Young, the first wagons left Sugar Creek Camp, Iowa, for the west toward the Rocky Mountains. Others would leave on a regular basis until the Saints were spread across Iowa from the Mississippi to the Missouri Rivers. Several camps across Iowa would be set up and the winter encampment would be made on the banks of the Missouri River at Winter Quarters and Council Bluffs, Iowa.

1917 - Ricks Academy in Rexburg, Idaho, receives a name change to Ricks Normal College.

2006 - Brigham Young University announced that the Institute for the Study and Preservation of Ancient Religious Texts (ISPART) would be renamed the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship.

Edited October 13, 2009 by Gwen

[Hemidakota]

1829 - About this time, Martin Harris approached the Prophet Joseph concerning the Gold Plates and the work he was doing. Joseph went to the Lord in prayer and received the revelation known as Doctrine and Covenants 5. It confirms the call of Joseph Smith as the Lord's Prophet, talks of three witnesses of the Book of Mormon, and encourages Martin Harris to repent and humble himself and then the Lord will "grant unto him a view of the things which he desires to see."

1834 - While traveling to gather men for Zion's Camp, the Prophet Joseph Smith and his party stopped in Westfield, New York, to spend the Sabbath. Parley P. Pratt preached and the Prophet spoke in the evening. Joseph records, "There is a small church in this place, which seems strong in the faith. O may God keep them in the faith, and save them, and lead them to Zion" (History of the Church, 2:41).

1842 - The Prophet Joseph read the proof of the Times and Seasons, as the editor for the first time. It includes the first part of the Book of Abraham and the Wentworth Letter.

1904 - President Joseph F. Smith appears before the U.S. Senate and answers the questions of the Senators during the hearing to decide on Reed Smoot's admittance to the Senate as an elected Senator.

1951 - The first convert is baptized in El Salvador.

1952 - The new Primary Children's Hospital is dedicated by President David O. McKay. Half of the cost of construction had been raised by the children of the Church through a penney drive that had begun during the administration of President Heber J. Grant.

1980 - Church members in the United States and Canada begin a Sunday meeting schedule that consolidates Sacrament meeting, Priesthood and Relief Society meetings, Primary, Young Women, and Sunday School meetings, into a three-hour block. One purpose of the new schedule was to give more time for families to be together on Sundays.

[Hemidakota]

1838 - The Prophet Joseph and his family are en route from Kirtland, Ohio, to Far West, Missouri.

1850 - Oliver Cowdery, one of the Three Witnesses of the Book of Mormon, dies in Richmond Missouri. At his death, he reaffirmed his testimony to the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon.

1968 - The first stake in Alabama is organized at Huntsville.

1991 - The first missionaries arrive in Madagascar.

1995 - President Howard W. Hunter dies in Salt Lake City, Utah, at age eighty-seven.

2002 - The Snowflake Arizona Temple is dedicated by President Gordon B. Hinckley.

2006 - After more than a year of construction and remodeling, the Visitor's Center in Independence, Missouri, is opened to the public.

2007 - About 130 young single adults and their leaders attended the opening of the Institute Outreach Center in Tirana, Albania.

[Hemidakota]

1840 - The Prophet Joseph returns to Nauvoo, Illinois, after spending four months primarily in Washington D.C. unsuccessfully petitioning the nation's leaders to redress the losses the Saints had suffered in Missouri. He also visited with members and taught the gospel in several areas in the surrounding area, such as Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. On his way back to Nauvoo, "I did not fail to proclaim the iniquity and insolence of Martin Van Buren, toward myself and an injured people . . . may he never be elected again to any office of trust or power, by which he may abuse the innocent and let the guilty go free" (History of the Church, 4:89). This statement proved to be prophetic.

1842 - In preparation for the printing of the Book of Abraham in the Times and Seasons, the Prophet Joseph had Reuben Hedlock come to his office to view the original and "gave instruction concerning the arrangement of the writing on the large cut (Facsimile 2)" (History of the Church, 4:543).

1843 - The Prophet Joseph records that Orrin Porter Rockwell had been arrested in St. Louis, Missouri, for the attempted murder of ex-Governor Boggs. He meets in council with Benjamin F. Johnson and others from Ramus, about building a meetinghouse there on Church property. He uses the metaphor of a wagon wheel to describe the building of LDS communities in the area. The hub is Nauvoo, with spokes to Ramus, LaHarpe, Shokoquon, and Lima being the one side of the wheel, the other side being in Iowa.

1844 - Feeling an urgency to finish the temple, the Prophet Joseph recommends that work on the Nauvoo House be suspended until the temple is finished, "as we need the temple more than anything else" (History of the Church, 6:230). He also suggested "James Arlington Bennett, of Long Island, as a candidate for Vice-President" and running mate in the upcoming Presidential elections.

1895 - Apostle John Henry Smith is elected by the Utah Constitutional Convention to preside over the delegates as they write a constitution for the new State of Utah.

1902 - Elder Francis M. Lyman stands on the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem and rededicates the Holy Land for the gathering of the Jews.

1925 - The Church Missionary Home and Preparatory Training School opens in Salt Lake City, Utah, for the training of new missionaries.

1994 - The Church receives legal recognition from the government of Cambodia. Missionary couples serving there do not proselyte but perform Christian service work.

[Hemidakota]

1832 - About this time, the Prophet Joseph receives the revelation known as Doctrine and Covenants 80, calling Stephen Burnett and Eden Smith as missionaries, to go where ever they wanted to go "for ye cannot go amiss."

1834 - The Prophet Joseph Smith and Parley P. Pratt arrived at the home of the Freeman Nickerson family in Perrysburg, New York, where in the evening they held a meeting concerning the Saints being driven from their homes in Missouri, "and opened to them the prophecies and revelations concerning the order of the gathering of Zion, and the means of her redemption; and I prophesied to them, and the Spirit of the Lord came mightily upon me, and with all readiness the young and middle-aged volunteered for Zion" (History of the Church, 2:42).

1846 - Elder Wilford Woodruff baptizes over 300 at Frames Hill, England.

1849 - A constitutional convention convenes in Salt Lake City, where a constitution for the proposed state of Deseret is to be written.

1902 - The name of the Church academy in Rexburg, Idaho, is named Ricks Academy in honor of Thomas E. Ricks, founder of Rexburg.

1994 - The Missionary Training Center in Buenos Aires, Argentina, is dedicated by Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin.

2000 - The Albuquerque New Mexico Temple is dedicated by President Gordon B. Hinckley.

[Hemidakota]

1834 - The Prophet Joseph records that he and Parley P. Pratt "held another meeting at Brother Nickerson's. The few unbelievers that attended were outrageous, and the meeting ended in complete confusion" (History of the Church, 2:42).

1840 - The Prophet Joseph attended a meeting of the High Council of Iowa held at the home of Elijah Fordham in Montrose. He told them that it was the will of the Lord that they should desist from trying to live the law of consecration and that it would not be kept until the Lord commanded otherwise.

1842 - The Prophet Joseph gave his Sunday address at Orson Spencer's near the construction site of the Nauvoo Temple.

1862 - The Salt Lake Theater is dedicated by President Brigham Young.

1948 - President Edward "Vaun" Clissold and his wife, Irene, arrive in Japan, the first official missionaries in Japan since the closure of the Japanese mission in 1924.

1986 - Brigham Young University basketball coach from 1949-1972, Stanley H. Watts, is inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame. His teams won eight conference titles and two National Invitational Tournaments.

1999 - The Colonia Juarez Chihuahua Mexico Temple is dedicated by President Gordon B. Hinckley.

[Hemidakota]

1831 - The Prophet Joseph receives Doctrine and Covenants 45. It testifies of Jesus being the advocate with the Father and discusses the salvation of mankind and the events associated with the Second Coming of the Savior.

1832 - The Prophet Joseph receives Doctrine and Covenants 80. It called Stephen Burnett and Eden Smith to serve missions.

1834 - The Prophet Joseph and Parley P. Pratt, accompanied by Freeman Nickerson, started on their journey back to Kirtland, Ohio. They left Brothers Gould and Matthews to prepare the companies that were to travel from that part of New York to Ohio for Zion's Camp. The three brethren traveled all day and could not find a place to stay the night as the taverns were full. They were obliged to continue riding in the dark and rain until they were able to find shelter at a higher cost than a tavern.

1835 - A meeting was held in Kirtland, Ohio, for the purpose of blessing those who had been assisting in the construction of the Temple.

1840 - Elders Brigham Young and Heber C. Kimball board the ship Patrick Henry in the New York Harbor, leaving the United States for their mission to England as commanded by the Lord in Doctrine and Covenants 118:4.

1846 - Brigham Young and his "Camp of Israel" arrive and set up a somewhat permanent encampment at Richardson's Point, 55 miles west of Nauvoo, Illinois, in Iowa. He ended up staying there until March 19th due to heavy rains making the roads and streams impassable.

1943 - The Navajo-Zuni Mission is organized as the first mission in the twentieth century to Native Americans.

1992 - The United States Internal Revenue Service announces that contributions to the missionary program of the Church are tax deductible as charitable donations.

2002 - The 2002 Paralympic Games opened in Salt Lake City, Utah. The First Presidency participated in the Paralympic torch with Elder James E. Faust passing it to President Thomas S. Monson, who passed it to President Gordon B. Hinckley. President Hinckley raised the torch and said, "We hope this will be a great and marvelous and wonderful occasion for everyone who participates. Let everyone be a winner" (2003 Church Almanac, p. 603).

2003 - The Church receives legal recognition from the government of Benin in West Africa.

[Hemidakota]

1831 - The Prophet Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon begin work on the Joseph Smith Translation of the New Testament. The Prophet receives the revelation known as Doctrine and Covenants 46, which gives instructions on conducting Church meetings and the proper use of the gifts of the Spirit. He also receives Doctrine and Covenants 47 calling John Whitmer to keep a history of the Church.

1832 - The Prophet Joseph Smith organizes the First Presidency for the first time in this dispensation after receiving Doctrine and Covenants Section 81 by revelation. He ordains Sidney Rigdon and Jesse Gause as his counselors. However, Jesse Gause was excommunicated from the Church in December 1832 and Frederick G. Williams was chosen to fill his position in the First Presidency in March 1833.

1833 - The Prophet Joseph Smith receives the revelation known as Doctrine and Covenants 90, adding additional information on the importance of the First Presidency and is a continuing step in the establishment of the First Presidency begun a year earlier with the revelation recorded as Doctrine and Covenants 81.

1834 - The Prophet Joseph Smith, Parley P. Pratt, and Freeman Nickerson, during their return trip to Kirtland, arrive in Palmersville, New York. They stay at the home of Esquire Walker. "We found them very friendly and somewhat believing, and tarried all night" (History of the Church, 2:42).

1849 - At the constitutional convention in Salt Lake City, a constitution for the proposed state of Deseret is adopted. However, the United States Congress, in the famous Compromise of 1850, makes Utah a territory instead of a state, denying the Saints local home rule and leading to a nearly fifty-year struggle for statehood.

1869 - The Union Pacific Railway reaches Ogden, Utah. With the arrival of rail transportation to Utah, immigrants would no longer need to use wagons to come to Utah.

1973 - The first stake in Korea, the first stake on mainland Asia, is organized at Seoul.

2000 - President Gordon B. Hinckley is the featured speaker at the National Press Club Newsmakers Luncheon in Washington D.C., becoming the first President of the Church to address such an audience. Also on this date, God's Army, an independent film about LDS missionary life in southern California, premieres in Sandy, Utah. The success of God's Army would open the doors for other Latter-day Saint themed films.

[Hemidakota]

1833 - The Prophet Joseph Smith receives the revelation known as Doctrine and Covenants 91, informing him "that it is not needful that the Apocrypha should be translated"

1834 - The Prophet Joseph Smith, traveling and recruiting brethren to join Zion's Camp to help the Saints in Missouri, preached in a schoolhouse finding "a few disciples who were firm in the faith; and, after meeting found many believing and could hardly get away from them" (History of the Church, 2:42). They stayed at the home of Warren Cowdery.

1843 - John B. Cowan took the decision of Judge Pope, made in January, along with other legal documents, to present them to the Governor of Iowa. It was hoped he would recall a writ for the Prophet Joseph's arrest if he were to cross the river into Iowa to visit the Saints there. The writ for his arrest had been issued in response to the request of the Governor of Missouri and it was hoped the recent decision made in the District Court in Springfield, Illinois, would also end the Prophet's legal problems in Iowa.

1844 - Brother King Follett was killed in Nauvoo, Illinois, in an accident while "walling up a well." His death would provide the background for one of the Prophet Joseph's greatest sermons, the King Follett Discourse, a few weeks later during April General Conference held in Nauvoo.

1982 - With President Kimball in attendance, President Marion G. Romney of the First Presidency, dedicates the Spencer W. Kimball Tower, the tallest building on the campus of Brigham Young University.

1997 - Chile becomes the fourth nation in the world with one hundred stakes with the organization of the Puerto Varas Chile stake.

[Hemidakota]

1832 - Around this time, the Prophet Joseph received the revelation known as Doctrine and Covenants 79. In the revelation, Jared Carter is called to serve a mission to preach the gospel and that "I will send upon him the Comforter, which shall teach him the truth and the way whither he shall go" (History of the Church, 1:257).

1834 - During the return journey to Kirtland, Ohio, the Prophet Joseph preached in Freedom, New York, to an "overflowing house." A young man by the name of Heman T. Hyde, arose at the end of the meeting and requested baptism. (History of the Church, 2:42-43).

1838 - The Seventies Quorum in Kirtland, Ohio, meets to discuss the possibility of the entire quorum following the Prophet Joseph Smith to Far West, Missouri. The Prophet had fled following the apostasy and persecution earlier in the year. The Spirit touches each man in attendance until all present are satisfied that they should move immediately to Missouri.

1841 - The Prophet Joseph is commissioned as Lieutenant General of the Nauvoo Legion by Illinois Governor Thomas Carlin.

1843 - After seeing a light in the heavens shaped like a sword, the Prophet prophesied of a "bloody war" that was to come. An earthquake is reported to have taken place in Lancashire, England. He writes, "The papers team with accounts of singular phenomena. Fearful sights are seen in all parts of the world" (History of the Church, 5:301).

1844 - In an address at the Nauvoo Temple site, the Prophet Joseph Smith teaches the Saint about the work and calling of Elias, Elijah, and the Messiah. He also stated, "I have asked of the Lord concerning His coming: and while asking the Lord, He gave a sign and said, 'In the days of Noah I set a bow in the heavens as a sign and token that in any year that the bow should be seen the Lord would not come; but there should be seed time and harvest during that year: but whenever you see the bow withdrawn, it shall be a toke that there shall be famine, pestilence, and great distress among the nations, and that the coming of the Messiah is not far distant" (History of the Church, 6:254).

1946 - Elder Ezra Taft Benson of the Twelve Apostles, arrives in Germany with the European Mission president, to begin their assessment of the status of the Saints in Europe at the end of World War II.

1970 - The first meeting house in Guam is dedicated and the Guam Branch becomes a ward.

1985 - A Churchwide fireside is held to teach members how to use the new LDS edition of the Scriptures.

1996 - President Gordon B. Hinckley is interviewed by Mike Wallace of CBS Television's 60 Minutes. The interview would appear on the program in April 1996.

[Hemidakota]

1834 - The Prophet Joseph records the baptism of Heman T. Hyde in Freedom, New York. His mother reportedly said she would "rather have followed him to an earthly grave than to have seen him baptized." However, she and the rest of her family would later be baptized, and long with 30-40 others, would be organized into the Freedom Branch of the Church. After the baptism, the Prophet and his party would travel about nine miles and stay at Steward's Tavern. (History of the Church, 2:43)

1842 - "The Nauvoo Legion was on parade, commanded by Lieutenant-General Joseph Smith in person." The Legion marched from the parade grounds below the Temple to Water Street and the Prophet's home. After an inspection and break, they marched West along the river and then back to the parade grounds. In the evening, the Prophet Joseph presided over a High Council meeting in his home where the false revelations of Francis Bishop were discussed. Bishop read his revelation after which he was "removed from the fellowship of the Church." (History of the Church, 4:549-550)

1843 - The Prophet Joseph records it was extremely cold in Nauvoo and that "water froze in the warmest rooms in the city." He traveled with Brigham Young to Ramus, Illinois, where he lodged with Benjamin F. Johnson. In an evening of fun, the Prophet pulled sticks with Justus A. Morse, "the strongest man in Ramus," and pulled him up "with one hand" (History of the Church, 5:302).

1844 - The Prophet Joseph met in an organizing meeting with many of the leaders of the Church to form the Council of Fifty. The group was organized to help with the planning for the future of the Kingdom of God. The Prophet discussed the prospect of "secure a resting place in the mountains, or some uninhabited region, where we can enjoy the liberty of conscience guaranteed to us by the Constitution of our country" (History of the Church, 6:261).

1845 - The leadership of the Church met with Brigham Young and it was decided to send those who had writs for their arrest on missions. The mobs would get writs against the brethren and then cause problems when the Saints would try to legally fight them. It was decided it would be best to avoid the situation until the Temple was completed and they could prepare to move west.

1882 - A town site in the Snake River Valley of Idaho is selected and named Rexburg after its founder Thomas E. Ricks.

1956 - The Los Angeles California Temple is dedicated by President David O. McKay.

1982 - The restored Sarah Melissa Granger Kimball home in Nauvoo, Illinois is dedicated by Elder Dean L. Larson, Presidency of the First Quorum of Seventy. In the summer of 1842, Sarah Kimball and her seamstress, Miss Cook, began to make shirts for the workers on the Nauvoo Temple. Their efforts expanded and a group of ladies met in Sarah's parlor and organized a Ladies' Society that was to become the Nauvoo Relief Society. Later, many Relief Society gatherings took place in Sarah's Nauvoo home.

1992 - President Gordon B. Hinckley, of the First Presidency, presents the Vatican Library in Vatican City with a copy of the five-volume Encyclopedia of Mormonism.

2000 - The Oaxaca Mexico Temple is dedicated by President James E. Faust of the First Presidency.

2005 - The First Presidency, President Gordon B. Hinckley, Thomas S. Monson, and James E. Faust, had "a conversation with the media" to note the 10th anniversary of their administration.

[Hemidakota]

1834 - The Prophet Joseph Smith and his party rode 36 miles to Father Edmund Bosley's in Livonia, New York. (History of the Church, 2:43).

1835 - The Prophet Joseph Smith calls upon the newly called Twelve Apostles to serve their first mission to the eastern states and the Atlantic seaboard. (History of the Church, 2:209).

1836 - Mr. Seixas, the teacher of Hebrew class in Kirtland, Ohio, left to gather his wife and family to Kirtland. His contract to teach class had been extended and his students, including the Prophet Joseph, were enjoying his teaching.

1844 - The Prophet Joseph told Brother Cole that he needed to move his school out of the upper room of the Red Brick Store as he needed it for more important purposes. The school moved to the home of Henry Miller. In the evening, a group of Nauvoo citizens met at the schoolhouse on the hill on Parley Street to discuss the possibility of organizing a co-operative store in their area.

1849 - The provisional government of Deseret elects its first officers including Brigham Young as governor.

1941 - President Heber J. Grant presents a copy of the Book of Mormon in braille to Helen Keller during her visit to Utah.

1961 - The first stake in the Netherlands is organized at the Hague. It is the first non-English stake in the Church and is called the Holland Stake.

1987 - The Church announces that the seventy-six-year-old Hotel Utah, in downtown Salt Lake City, will be closed and renovated to function as a meeting house, family history library, and offices for the Church administration.

1995 - Gordon B. Hinckley is ordained and set apart as the fifteenth President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, with Thomas S. Monson as First Counselor, and James E Faust as Second Counselor. Also on this date, the first stake in the Republic of Ireland is organized in Dublin.

2000 - The Tuxtla Gutierrez Mexico Temple is dedicated by President James E. Faust, Second Counselor in the First Presidency.

2006 - The Santiago Chile Temple is rededicated by President Gordon B. Hinckley after going through extensive renovation and refurbishing.

[KeithLBrown]

Excellent! Thanks for posting.

[Hemidakota]

1836 - The Prophet Joseph met with the presidency and the Twelve and discussed the prospect of moving to Missouri. It was concluded that if all went well, they would move in the Spring--by "the 15th of May next." However, the move of the leadership did not take place as hoped.

1838 - Hyrum Smith helps the seventies draft a constitution for the organization and government of the "Kirtland Camp." The camp was composed of impoverished, faithful Latter-day Saints, who were fleeing Kirtland, Ohio, for Far West. Missouri, following the apostasy in Kirtland.

1838 - The Prophet Joseph, Sidney Rigdon, and their families, approached Far West, Missouri. They had been traveling for two months to reach the peace of Missouri. They were met by an escort and spent the night at Brother Barnard's home, only a day from Far West.

1843 - The Prophet Joseph records, "I wrestled with William Wall, the most expert wrestler in Ramus, and threw him" (History of the Church, 5:302). In the evening, there were twenty-seven children blessed in Ramus. After blessing nineteen of them, the Prophet records, "Virtue went out of me, and my strength left me, when I gave up the meeting to the brethren" (History of the Church, 5:303).

1850 - Isaac Morley, leader of the Saints in Sanpete County, Utah, baptizes Ute Indian Chief Wakara.

1970 - The Mormon Pavilion at the World's Fair in Osaka, Japan, is dedicated. President Hugh B. Brown, of the First Presidency, and Elders Ezra Taft Benson and Gordon B. Hinckley take part in the dedication. Some 6.65 million people visit the pavilion in the first six months of the fair.

1979 - The Logan Utah Temple is rededicated by President Spencer W. Kimball after extensive remodeling.

1981 - United States President Ronald Reagan hosts President Spencer W. Kimball and Elder Gordon B. Hinckley.

1988 - Elder Marvin J. Ashton, of the Quorum of the Twelve, blessed the islands of the West Indies and also dedicated the Christ Church Branch building in Barbados.

2005 - By satellite, President Hinckley addresses 95,000 Church members in Samoa and Tahiti. Also, the first meetinghouse of the Church in Daviess County, Missouri, was dedicated in Gallatin, Missouri. In the 1830's the Church had several settlements in the area, one of which was Adam-ondi-Ahman, before the Saints were driven from the state during the winter of 1838-39.

[Hemidakota]

1830 - The Prophet Joseph Smith wrote a preface to the Book of Mormon.

1836 - Professor Seixas returned to Kirtland, Ohio, with his family to continue teaching in Kirtland.

1838 - The Prophet Joseph Smith, Sidney Rigdon, and their families, arrive in Far West, Missouri. Many of the Saints in Far West came out to greet them and welcomed them to the city. A far cry from their recent experience in Kirtland. The Prophet and Sidney Rigdon had fled Kirtland, Ohio on January 12th to escape the violence of apostates who threatened their lives. Those Saints who remained faithful to the Prophet and the Church soon began to leave Kirtland for Missouri. However, the peace of Missouri was short lived. By winter the persecutions would force the Saints to leave Missouri and flee to Illinois.

1843 - When asked by Jedediah M. Grant why he became pale and weak the night before while blessing the children, the Prophet replies, "I saw Lucifer would exert his influence to destroy the children that I was blessing, and I strove with all the faith and spirit that I had to seal upon them a blessing that would secure their lives upon the earth; and so much virtue went out of me into the children, that I became weak, from which I have not yet recovered" (History of the Church, 5:303).

1982 - The first stake in Spain is organized in Madrid.

1992 - The women of the Relief Society celebrate the sesquicentennial of the founding of the Relief Society through an international satellite broadcast. Also, the first branch of the Church in Bangladesh was organized at Dhaka.

[Hemidakota]

1833 - The Prophet Joseph receives Doctrine and Covenants 92, which appoints Frederick G. Williams as a "lively" member of the United Order.

1839 - The prisoners at Liberty Jail in Liberty, Missouri, petition the judge to appear before him to plead their case of being illegally confined in the Jail and to give them the opportunity to defend themselves against the false charges brought against them.

1842 - Joseph Smith officiated in the installation of the Nauvoo Lodge of Free Masons. Also, an installment of Joseph Smith's translation of the book of Abraham, including facsimile 2, was published in the Church newspaper Times and Seasons.

1843 - The Prophet Joseph changed the name of the newspaper in Nauvoo from The Wasp to The Nauvoo Neighbor, with the motto, "The Saints' Singularity is Union, Liberty, Charity."

1845 - The Twelve Apostles, Presidency of the Seventies, Temple Committee, Trustees and Architect, met in council and decided to put all their efforts into completing the Nauvoo Temple. Other projects in the city of Nauvoo would be put on hold until the Temple was completed.

1877 - Romania Pratt (Penrose) graduates from the Women's Medical College in New York. She is one of the first LDS women to earn a medical degree.

1970 - The first stake in Japan is organized at Tokyo. It is the first stake of the Church in Asia.

1989 - The first branch of the Church in Kenya is organized in Nairobi.

[Hemidakota]

1831 - About this time, some of the brethren inquired of the Prophet Joseph Smith how they should "act in regard to purchasing lands to settle upon" in the Kirtland, Ohio, area. The Prophet inquired of the Lord and received the revelation known as Doctrine and Covenants 48. (History of the Church, 1:167-168).

1838 - About this time the Prophet Joseph recorded some thoughts that became known as "The Political Motto for the Church of Latter-day Saints." It includes such sentiments as: "Peace and good order in Society. Love to God, and good will to men. All good and wholesome laws, virtue and truth above all things" and "woe to tyrants, mobs, aristocracy, anarchy, and toryism, and all those who invent or seek out unrighteous and vexatious law suits." It concludes with the words, "Sacred is the memory of that blood which bought for us our liberty." (History of the Church, 3:9).

1842 - The Prophet Joseph Smith completes his translation of the Book of Abraham.

1844 - The last meeting of the Female Relief Society of Nauvoo is held and Emma Smith is released as President. It would be reorganized in 1866 with Eliza R. Snow as President.

1845 - Brigham Young spoke to the Saints and called upon them to place all their efforts in completing the Nauvoo Temple. He also stated that since the State of Illinois had repealed the city charter that he was "going to drop the name Nauvoo and call this the 'City of Joseph.'" He called for a meeting of the Bishops of Nauvoo to meet and organize a city government.

2001 - President Gordon B. Hinckley and Elder Dallin H. Oaks visit the island of Aruba, off the coast of Venezuela, and meet with the 180 members of the Aruba San Nicolas Branch.

[Hemidakota]

1834 - The Prophet Joseph attended a conference of Elders at Avon, New York. The purpose of the conference was to recruit men to help with the "redemption of Zion" and to gather funds to help purchase lands in Missouri and to help relieve the debt of the Church in Kirtland.

1842 - The Prophet Joseph Smith organizes the Female Relief Society of Nauvoo, with Emma Smith as president, Sarah M. Cleveland as first counselor, Elizabeth Ann Whitney as second counselor, and Eliza R. Snow as secretary. The Society had its inception when several women, led by Sarah M. Kimball, organized to make shirts for the men working on the Nauvoo Temple. They planned to organize like other women's groups of the day, but the Prophet Joseph stated they needed to be organized after the same pattern as the priesthood. Joseph stated that by selecting Emma as the president, it fulfilled an earlier revelation identifying her as an "elect lady." Joseph also stated that "the Church was never perfectly organized until the women were thus organized" (Relief Society Magazine, Mar. 1919, p. 129). The organizations objective was "the relief of the poor, the destitute, the widow and the orphan, and for the exercise of all benevolent purposes" (History of the Church, 4:567).

1993 - Elder James E. Faust dedicates the Baltic republic of Latvia for the preaching of the gospel.

1999 - At a dinner and reception at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York City, BYU's Islamic Translation Series, which is making many important classic Islamic writings available to the Western world, was honored. Representatives and diplomats from 35 Islamic countries attended the event.

2007 - A meetinghouse was dedicated at Tiberias overlooking the Sea of Galilee in Israel. It will serve the Galilee Branch of the Church. Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, and Elder Cecil O. Samuelson, President of BYU, were in attendance. Also, the first ever young single adult conference in Ethiopia was held in the capitol of Addis Ababa. More than 100 young single adults and their friends attended.

[Hemidakota]

1833 - The Prophet Joseph Smith ordains the members of the First Presidency, namely Sidney Rigdon and Frederick G. Williams as counselors. The occasion was marked by many seeing "a heavenly vision of the Savior, and concourses of angels, and many other things." (History of the Church, 1:335).

1836 - The Prophet Joseph attended Hebrew school in the morning and then attended the funeral of Susan Johnson, the daughter of Ezekiel Johnson. Sidney Rigdon gave the funeral address. (History of the Church, 2:407-408).

1843 - The Prophet Joseph spent the morning in his office working. He records, "About noon, I lay down on the writing table, with my head on a pile of law books, saying, 'Write and tell the world I acknowledge myself a very great lawyer; I am going to study law, and this is the way I study it;' and then fell asleep." Later he "played ball with the boys" (History of the Church, 5:306).

1962 - The first stake in Western Samoa is organized in Apia.

1982 - Three Church executive committees are created-the Missionary Executive Council, the Priesthood Executive Council, and the Temple and Genealogy Executive Council (later known as the Temple and Family History Executive Council).

1999 - President Gordon B. Hinckley, accompanied by President Thomas S. Monson and Elder Jeffery R. Holland, visit King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia at the royal palace in Madrid, Spain.

2001 - The Montevideo Uruguay Temple is dedicated by President Gordon B. Hinckley.

2003 - Elder Merrill J. Bateman is released as President of Brigham Young University. Elder Cecil O. Samuelson, Jr. is called as the new President of the University.

[Hemidakota]

1830 - An advertisement appeared in the Wayne Sentinel, a Palmyra, New York, newspaper, stating that copies of the Book of Mormon would be ready to sell in a week.

1831 - The Prophet wrote, "At about this time came Leman Copley, one of the sect called Shaking Quakers, and embraced the fulness of the everlasting Gospel, apparently honest-hearted, but still retaining the idea that the Shakers were right in some particulars of their faith. In order to have a more perfect understanding on the subject, I inquired of the Lord, and received the following." The Prophet then recorded the revelation known as Doctrine and Covenants 49. (History of the Church, 1:167-169).

1834 - The Prophet Joseph continued on his return journey to Kirtland, Ohio, spending the night at Brother McWithey's tavern.

1836 - The Prophet Joseph wrote, "Read Hebrew with the morning class. Spent the day in attending to my domestic concerns and the affairs of the Church" (History of the Church, 2:408).

1843 - The Prophet Joseph records, "Rode out with Emma and visited my farm; returned about eleven, a.m., and spent the remainder of the day at home" (History of the Church, 5:307).

1851 - The Provo Stake, the first stake in Utah south of Salt Lake City, is organized by President Brigham Young.

1968 - Missionaries arrive in Singapore for the first time.

1999 - The Madrid Spain Temple is dedicated by President Gordon B. Hinckley.

2000 - The Louisville Kentucky Temple is dedicated by President Thomas S. Monson, First Counselor in the First Presidency.

2006 - The first meetinghouse constructed by the Church in Malaysia was dedicated by Elder Daryl H. Garn of the Seventy and Asia Area President. The meetinghouse will be used by members of the Miri Branch in Sarawak.

[Hemidakota]

1826 - The Prophet Joseph Smith stands trial in South Brainbridge, New York, on a charge of being a "disorderly person." He is exonerated of the charges. This is the first of many legal situations that he would endure during his lifetime.

1832 - About this time received the Prophet Joseph receive the revelation known as Doctrine and Covenants 78. Section 78 instructs the Saints on caring for the poor, that the Church should be independent of earthly powers, and that the faithful will inherit all things.

1839 - On this date, the Prophet Joseph Smith began to write a letter to the Saints from Liberty Jail that would later become the basis for the beautiful scriptures found in Doctrine and Covenants 121, 122, and 123. Joseph and his companions had been in Liberty Jail for several months when he wrote this letter of prayer, prophecy, and advice to the Saints who had fled to Illinois.

1841 - About this time, the Prophet Joseph Smith receives the revelation known as Doctrine and Covenants 125, concerning the will of the Lord for the Saints living in the Territory of Iowa across the river from Nauvoo, Illinois.

1842 - The Prophet Joseph Smith speaks to a large number of Saints in the grove on the west side of the Temple. The child of Windsor P. Lyon and his wife having died, the Prophet talked about life and death, the resurrection and the salvation of children. The Prophet taught that "Children will be enthroned in the presence of God and the Lamb . . . having been redeemed by the blood of the Lamb; they will there enjoy the fullness of that light, glory and intelligence, which is prepared in the celestial kingdom" (History of the Church, 4:555-556). The Prophet also baptized 80 people in the Mississippi River near his home, including M. L. D. Wasson, a nephew of Emma Smith, the first of her family to join the Church.

1977 - The first stake in Rhode Island is organized at Providence.

2000 - The Church announces the shipment of 11 large shipping containers of clothing, food, and medical supplies to Mozambique and 10 containers to Zimbabwe in Africa to help in the humanitarian efforts after weeks of heavy rains cause widespread flooding.

2001 - The Brazil Chamber of Deputies (similar to the U.S. House of Representatives) recognized the 159th anniversary of the Relief Society. Three hundred members of the Relief Society were present at the session that was shown live on television throughout Brazil.

2009 - The Draper Utah Temple is dedicated by President Thomas S. Monson.

[Hemidakota]

1830 - About this time, the Prophet Joseph Smith received the revelation known as Doctrine and Covenants 19. It was given to Martin Harris and discusses repentance and contains one of the most descriptive and moving accounts of the Atonement of Jesus Christ.

1836 - The Prophet Joseph prepares the paper work to obtain "Elder's licenses" from Medina County in order to legally perform marriages. The local county, Geauga County, had refused to grant licenses for this purpose to the leaders of the Church. (History of the Church, 2:408).

1839 - The Prophet Joseph writes his wife Emma a letter from Liberty Jail. (Personal Writings of Joseph Smith, p. 448-453)

1858 - President Brigham Young supervises the evacuation of the northern Utah settlements, including Salt Lake City, as the United States Army prepares to enter the territory during the so-called "Utah War." Led by Albert Sidney Johnston, the troops would pass through Salt Lake City and take up residence near Fairfield, Utah, south of Salt Lake Valley.

1886 - The Saints who had settled on the Peadres Verdes River in Chihuahua, Mexico, hold a celebration and name their community Juarez.

1912 - Church leaders begin to encourage the use of individual sacrament cups instead of the common cup.

1953 - The first convert baptisms in Honduras, Central America, took place.

1994 - Church member, Jerry Molen, receives an Oscar from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences as co-producer of the film Schindler's List.

[Hemidakota]

1834 - On his return to Kirtland, the Prophet Joseph arrived and stayed at the home of Vinson Knight in Perrysburg. (History of the Church, 2:45).

1839 - From Liberty Jail, the Prophet Joseph wrote a letter to Issac Galland who owned property at Commerce, Illinois, informing him of the desire of the Church to purchase property as a gathering place for the Saints.

1842 - The Advocate, a newspaper printed in Columbus, reported on a recent visit by "an observer" to Nauvoo, Illinois, during the organization of the Masonic Lodge there. The "observer" writes, "I saw a people apparently happy, prosperous and Intelligent. Every man appeared to be employed in some business or occupation. . . . Nauvoo contains, it is said, about seven thousand persons; the buildings are generally small and much scattered. The Temple . . . will probably, in beauty of design, extent and durability, excel any public building in the state" (History of the Church, 4:565-566).

1844 - The Prophet Joseph held Mayor's court, studied German, and met in prayer with the Twelve Apostles at the home of Brigham Young. He also advised the Seventies to rebuild their meeting hall, "one two stories high, and strong enough to stand for a generation" (History of the Church, 6:271).

1882 - Chester A. Arthur, president of the United States, signs into law the antipolygamy Edmunds Bill. It defined polygamy as "unlawful cohabitation," and made contracting plural marriage a punishable offense, and disenfranchised polygamists.

1885 - The United States Supreme Court annulled the Utah "test oath," which prevented polygamists in Utah from voting, thus restoring the voting rights of Utah polygamists.

1970 - The first stake in South Africa is organized at Transvaal. It is the first stake on the African continent. Also on this date, the first stake in New Hampshire is organized at Merrimack. In addition, the Mandenville Branch, first branch of the Church in Jamaica, is organized.

1981 - The first stake in Nicaragua is organized at Managua.

[Hemidakota]

1833 - The Prophet Joseph met in council to discuss the purchase of several farms for the gathering of the Saints in the Kirtland, Ohio, area. After discussion, the council decided to purchase three farms, Elijah Smith's, Mr. Morley's, and Peter French's. The Prophet Joseph would choose the Peter French farm as the site for the Kirtland Temple and sends Joseph Coe, Moses Dailey, and Ezra Thayer to purchase it.

1844 - The Prophet Joseph and William Clayton spent part of the day raising money for the men working in the pinery in Wisconsin supplying lumber for the building projects in Nauvoo, including the Temple. He also learns that William Law, Wilson Law, Robert D. Foster, Chauncey L. Higbee, and Joseph Jackson are conspiring to kill him and his family. Dr. Foster had accused Joseph of inappropriate advances towards his wife. He tries visiting Dr. Foster but he was not at home. With witnesses present, the Prophet asked Mrs. Foster if he had ever done so and she replied, No. (History of the Church, 6:271).

1847 - The Mormon Battalion companies A, C, D, and E, arrive at Pueblo de Los Angeles, California, after a four day journey north from the San Luis Rey Mission.

1876 - A group of Latter-day Saints who had been called to settle in Arizona, arrive at the Little Colorado River, chosen as the site for a LDS community.

1974 - The Church gives the State of Utah the Brigham Young Forest Farm home in Salt Lake City for use in the state's Pioneer State Park at the mouth of emigration canyon. In return, the State of Utah gives the Church Brigham Young's winter home in St. George, Utah, and the Jacob Hamblin home in Santa Clara, Utah, to be used as visitors' and information centers.

1986 - The first stake in the Dominican Republic is organized at Santo Domingo.

2007 - The wallet, owned by Martin Harris when he carried $3,000 to the printer's shop to pay for the printing of the Book of Mormon in 1829, is donated to the Museum of Church History by Russell Martin Harris, a great-great-grandson of Martin Harris.

[Hemidakota]

1832 - While staying at the John Johnson farm in Hiram, Ohio, fifty men led by Symonds Ryder, a disaffected member of the Church, pull Joseph Smith from his bed and tar and feather him. They also drag Sidney Rigdon by his heels along the frozen ground, severely injuring his head. Joseph and Emma's eleven-month-old adopted son, Joseph, dies a few days later as a result of the exposure during the mobbing.

1841 - Elder Willard Richards writes a letter to the Prophet Joseph from Preston, England, giving a history of the missionary work in the first foreign mission of the Latter-day Saints, and the successful planting of the gospel seeds in Britain.

1842 - The Prophet Joseph met with the Female Relief Society of Nauvoo to complete their organization that began on March 17th. He writes that he is pleased with the organization and that because of "those pure principles of benevolence that flow spontaneously" from the sisters of the Church, "they will fly to the relief of the stranger; they will pour in oil and wine to the wounded heart of the distressed; they will dry up the tears of the orphan and make the widow's heart to rejoice" (History of the Church, 4:567).

1843 - The first donations to a new museum in Nauvoo were made by Addison Pratt and included "the tooth of a whale, coral, bones of an Albatross' wing . . . jaw-bone of a porpoise, and tooth of a South Sea seal." The Prophet Joseph was surprised and pleased when, on this date, The Boston Bee newspaper published a favorable article on the Prophet Joseph and the Latter-day Saints. (History of the Church, 5:406)

1844 - The Prophet Joseph spoke at a Sunday meeting in the grove near the Temple site and informed the Saints that he had learned of a conspiracy to take his and his families life. He gave the names of the conspirators stating that he wouldn't "swear out a warrant against them, for I don't fear any of them." He added, "Why do not my enemies strike a blow at the doctrine? They cannot do it: it is truth, and I defy all men to upset it. I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, 'Repent ye of your sins and prepare the way for the coming of the Son of Man." In a statement perhaps predicting his own death in three months, he stated, "How often men lay down their lives for their country and other purposes. How much better, then, to die for the cause of Zion!" (History of the Church, 7:272-273).

1845 - Brigham Young and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles met with the Bishops in Nauvoo. The city being without a legal government as a result of the repeal of the Nauvoo City charter, the bishops were "directed to set apart deacons in their wards to attend to all things needful and especially to watch . . . that the peace and good order hitherto sustained by the city might still be preserved" (History of the Church, 7:388).

1851 - Five hundred Latter-day Saint settlers leave Payson, Utah, for California, where they would build a Church-sponsored settlement at San Bernardino.

1992 - The first convert baptism in Armenia is performed when Mikhail Oskar Belousov is baptized in Yerevan.

2000 - The Testaments: Of One Fold and One Shepherd, a film on the life of the Savior in both the Holy Land and on the American continent, opens in the Legacy Theater in the Joseph Smith Memorial Building in Salt Lake City, Utah.

2004 - The Illinois House of Representatives passed a resolution asking "the pardon and forgiveness of the community of Latter-day Saints for the misguided efforts of our citizens, Chief Executive and the General Assembly in the expulsion of their Mormon ancestors from the gleaming city of Nauvoo and the State of Illinois."