The Order of the Thistle is an order of chivalry associated with Scotland.
While its original date of foundation is unknown, James VII instituted the
modern Order in 1687. The Order consists of the Sovereign and sixteen
Knights and Ladies, as well as certain "extra" knights (members of the
British Royal Family and foreign monarchs). The Sovereign alone grants
membership of the Order; he or she is not advised by the Government, as
occurs with most other Orders. The sixteen members are required to be
Scottish-born, though not the "extra" knights and ladies. The Order's
primary emblem is the thistle, the national flower of Scotland. The motto is
Nemo me impune lacessit (Latin for "No one provokes me with impunity"). The
patron saint of the Order is St Andrew. Most British orders of chivalry
cover the entire kingdom, but the three most exalted ones each pertain to
one constituent country only. The Order of the Thistle, which pertains to
Scotland, is the second-most senior in precedence.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Order_of_the_Thistle>
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Today's selected anniversaries:
1846:
Peasants led by Jakub Szela began an uprising against Polish nobles in
Galicia in the Austrian partition, killing about 1000 people and destroyed
about 500 manors.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galician_slaughter>
1861:
With Italian unification almost complete, Victor Emmanuel II of Piedmont,
Savoy and Sardinia assumed the title King of Italy.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victor_Emmanuel_II_of_Italy>
1908:
The Royal Dramatic Theatre in Stockholm, Sweden's national stage for "spoken
drama", opened with playwright August Strindberg's play Master Olof.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Dramatic_Theatre>
1932:
The Empire of Japan established Manchukuo, a puppet state in northeastern
China during the Sino-Japanese War.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manchukuo>
1943:
Joseph Goebbels, Hitler's Propaganda Minister, delivered the Sportpalast
speech to motivate the German people when the tide of World War II was
turning against Germany.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sportpalast_speech>
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Wiktionary's word of the day:
xanthous (adj):
1. Yellow-brown; yolk-colored.
2. (archaic) Pertaining to people with skin and hair that is lighter than
usual for their race or ethnicity
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/xanthous>
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Wikiquote quote of the day:
My prayer is not the whimpering of a beggar nor a confession of love. Nor is
it the petty reckoning of a small tradesman: Give me and I shall give you.
My prayer is the report of a soldier to his general: This is what I did
today, this is how I fought to save the entire battle in my own sector,
these are the obstacles I encountered, this is how I plan to fight tomorrow.
--Nikos Kazantzakis
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Nikos_Kazantzakis>