Bibles for the World

The American Bible Society was founded in New York on this day in 1816. Elias Boudinot, a former President of the United States under the Articles of Confederation, was the first chairman. He was succeeded by another former President and later the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, John Jay. The organization’s purpose, "to encourage the wider circulation of the Holy Scriptures throughout the world," has resulted in translations of the Scriptures into more than a thousand languages all around the globe.