Today in Mormon History - Aug 21

Michael L. Ballam, later a gifted tenor, a professor of music at Utah State University, and founder and president of the Utah Festival Opera Company, is born in Logan, Utah. (1)
-- 60 years ago today - Aug 21, 1951

MONEY magazine ranks Provo-Orem as America's "No. 1 most-livable metropolitan area." By 1985 it also has highest percentage of church membership in nation. (2)
-- 20 years ago today - Aug 21, 1991

Nat Turner led about seventy slaves on a killing spree across the plantations of Southampton, Virginia, leaving fifty-five whites dead, escalating fears that and increasing rhetoric over the slave issue. Joseph Smith would prophecy on Dec 25, 1832 that "slaves shall rise up against their masters, who shall be marshaled and disciplined for war." (D&C 87:4).

In the Evening and Morning Star Extra of July 16, 1833, W. W. Phelps reassures the Missourians that "we fear, lest, as has been the case, the blacks should rise and spill innocent blood: for they are ignorant, and a little may lead them to disturb the peace of society ..." (3)
-- 180 years ago today - Aug 21, 1831

1 - The Woodland Institute 'On This Day Historical Database,' http://www.woodlandinstitute.com
2 - On This Day in Mormon History, http://onthisdayinmormonhistory.blogspot.com
3 - Grunder, Rick, Mormon Parallels: A Bibliographic Source