Sid Barnes (1916–1973) was an Australian cricketer and cricket writer,
who played 13 Test matches between 1938 and 1948. Able to open the
innings or bat down the order, Barnes was regarded as one of
Australia's finest batsmen in the period immediately following the
Second World War. He helped create an enduring record when scoring
234 in the second Test against England at Sydney in December 1946;
exactly the same score as his captain, Don Bradman, in the process
setting a world-record 405 run fifth wicket partnership. Barnes
averaged 63.05 over 19 innings in a career that, like most of his
contemporaries, was interrupted by the Second World War. Barnes had a
reputation as an eccentric and was frequently the subject of
controversy. This included a celebrated libel case, following his
exclusion from the national team in 1951–52 for "reasons other than
cricket ability". He was later involved in an incident where, acting as
twelfth man, he performed his duties on the ground in a suit and tie
(rather than 'whites'), carrying a bizarre range of superfluous items.
Despite this reputation, Barnes was a shrewd businessman who used the
opportunities afforded by cricket to supplement his income through
trading, journalism and property development.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sid_Barnes>
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Today's selected anniversaries:
1368:
Zhu Yuanzhang ascended to the throne of China as the Hongwu Emperor,
initiating Ming Dynasty rule over China that would last for three
centuries.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ming_Dynasty>
1556:
The deadliest earthquake in history killed about 830,000 people in
Shaanxi Province, China.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1556_Shaanxi_earthquake>
1656:
Under the pseudonym Louis de Montalte, French mathematician, physicist,
and religious philosopher Blaise Pascal published the first of his
Lettres provinciales, attacking the Jesuits and their use of casuistic
reasoning.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lettres_provinciales>
1960:
The bathyscaphe Trieste reached the record depth of 10,916 m (35,813
feet) in Challenger Deep of the Mariana Trench.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bathyscaphe_Trieste>
1968:
USS Pueblo was seized by North Korean forces, who claimed that it had
violated their territorial waters while spying.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Pueblo_%28AGER-2%29>
2001:
Five people attempted to set themselves on fire in Beijing's Tiananmen
Square, an act that many people later claimed was staged by the
Communist Party of China to frame Falun Gong and thus escalate their
persecution.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tiananmen_Square_self-immolation_incident>
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Wiktionary's word of the day:
tsuris (n):
(US, colloquial) Problems or troubles
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/tsuris>
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Wikiquote quote of the day:
One can acquire everything in solitude — except character.
--Stendhal
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Stendhal>