Today in History: December 6

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NASSAU, BAHAMAS – On this day in Bahamian history in 1904 Alvin Rudolph Braynen was born in Current, Eleuthera.

Braynen was a politician who served as a Member of Parliament, Deputy Speaker and Speaker of the House.

He was first elected to the House of Assembly in 1939, serving there for 35 years. When political parties began in the colony in the 1950s, he became a member of the predominantly white United Bahamian Party (UBP).

However, following a disagreement with the party prior to the 1967 general election, Braynen decided to run as an independent candidate for the Harbour Island seat and won.

This would be significant as there was an 18-18 seat tie between the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) and the UBP.

An agreement would be reached between the PLP, Braynen and Labour Mp, Randol Fawkes in which Fawkes would form a coalition government with the PLP and Braynen would become Speaker of the House. He would serve in this office from February 9, 1967 to October 18, 1972.

When The Bahamas achieved independence from the United Kingdom in 1973, he served as High Commissioner to Great Britian from 1973 to 1977.

Braynen died on October 9, 1992 in Nassau. He was 87.

Then on this day in 1962, Robert Hallam Symonette was sworn in as Speaker of the House of Assembly of the colony. He served as speaker of the house until February 9, 1967.

And on December 6, 1983 – FamGuard Corporation was incorporated under the laws of the Commonwealth of The Bahamas to serve as an investment holding company.

In world history, in 1865 Georgia became the 27th U.S. state to ratify the thirteenth amendment, which abolished slavery.

In 1912, a bust of Nefertiti was discovered during excavations in Egypt; the sculpture later went on display in a Berlin museum, and it became a source of controversy as an alleged plundered artifact.

In 2003 Miss Ireland, Rosanna Davison, was crowned Miss World in communist China’s first international beauty pageant.

In 2006 NASA released images- taken by the Mars global surveyor, indicating the relatively recent presence of water on Mars.