Work on Salisbury Cathedral begins under the auspices of Bishop Richard Poore.

German reformer Martin Luther wrote in a letter: 'The authority of Scripture is greater than the comprehension of the whole of man's reason.'

Death of Georg von Polentz. He had been the first Reformation bishop of Samland and Pomesania, a region in Prussia.

In the South Pacific, a band of hedonistic sailors stages the famous mutiny on the Bounty. The mutineers then sailed to uninhabited Pitcairn Island, where they soon fell into drinking and fighting. Only one man and several women (taken earlier as slaves) and children survived. The man, Alexander Smith, discovered the ship's neglected Bible, repented, and transformed the community. The Bible is still on display in a Pitcairn church.

ASHLEY COOPER, the future Lord Shaftesbury, was born on this day, 28 April 1801. When he inherited his father’s estate, he became known as the “Poor Man’s Lord” because he championed the poor and downtrodden. As a member of Parliament, he helped the reduction of children’s long working hours, the establishment of Christian schools, the improvement of sewage systems, the introduction of betterment of mining conditions, and the spread of Bible reading. When he became Lord Shaftesbury, he built cottages and improved the estate that his father had neglected for self-centered pursuits. His many endeavors endeared him to the poor. At his funeral, hundreds of thousands stood without hats in pouring rain to show their love and respect for the man who had defended them.

Birth of Vernon J. Charlesworth, English clergyman and headmaster at Charles Spurgeon's Stockwell Orphanage. Today, Charlesworth is remembered as author of the hymn, "A Shelter in the Time of Storm."

Death of George Washington Bethune, hymn translator, Reformed church pastor, while preaching in Florence, Italy. He will be buried in September and his hymn “It Is Not Death to Die” will be sung at his funeral.

English devotional author Frances Ridley Havergal, 33, penned the words to the hymn, "Lord, Speak to Me That I May Speak."

Birth of Susan Strachan, missions pioneer. Working together with her husband Harry Strachan, in 1921 she helped found the Latin America Mission in Stony Point, NY.

Thousands of Genevans demonstrate for five hours against a religiously inspired ban on gambling.

Death in New York City of Congregationalist clergymen and social gospel advocate Josiah Strong, who had sought to apply Protestant ideals to social problems. He had been a strong advocate of missions, believing that only redemption through Christ could change people’s behavior. His most influential book had been Our Country: Its Possible Future and Its Present Crisis.

Soviets arrest Natalya Ivanovna Sundukova, daughter of a priest, on grounds that she leads a counter-revolutionary church cell in Stalinabad. She will be imprisoned and eventually shot for counter-revolutionary activity, dissemination of Christian teaching among prisoners, and refusal to work for the atheist regime.

It was on this date, February 29, 1948, when pastor Richard Wurmbrand of Rumania was kidnapped for eight and one half years by the Communists. His years of imprisonment consisted of a ceaseless round of torture and brainwashing. For seventeen hours a day, repetitious phrases were dinned into his ears: Communism is good. Christianity is stupid! Give up. Give up! However, he refused. After his release, he continued preaching and was invited to speak before hundreds of groups. By 1967, Wurmbrand had incorporated the mission organization that is now known as “Voice of the Martyrs”, dedicated to assisting those who suffer for Christ throughout the world.

Christian Missionary Alliance pilot Albert Lewis crashes his flying boat in a pass leading into Netherlands New Guinea’s Baliem Valley (now in Irian Jarat). Before his untimely death, ten thousand souls had been brought to Christ in part because of his supporting ministry.

The 100th General Assembly of the Southern Presbyterian Church (PCUS) passed a resolution declaring that sexual relations within marriage -- without the intention of procreation -- were not sinful.

Death at Toulouse of Jacques Maritain, a leading neo-Thomist philosopher.