GRB 970228 was a gamma-ray burst (GRB) detected on February 28, 1997 at
02:58 UTC. A gamma-ray burst is a highly luminous flash of gamma rays,
the most energetic form of electromagnetic radiation. Since 1993,
physicists had predicted these bursts to be followed by a longer-lived
afterglow at longer wavelengths, such as radio waves, x-rays, and even
visible light. Until this event, GRBs had only been observed at gamma
wavelengths. This was the first burst for which an afterglow was
observed. The burst had multiple peaks in its light curve and lasted
approximately 80 seconds. Peculiarities in the light curve of GRB
970228 suggested that a supernova may have occurred as well. The
position of the burst coincided with a galaxy at a redshift of
z = 0.695, providing early evidence that GRBs occur well beyond the
Milky Way.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GRB_970228>
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Today's selected anniversaries:
1147:
Reconquista: Forces under King Afonso I of Portugal captured Lisbon
from the Moors after a four-month siege in what would be one of their
only successes during the Second Crusade.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siege_of_Lisbon>
1616:
The Dutch sailing ship Eendracht reached Shark Bay on the western
coastline of Australia, as documented on the Hartog Plate etched by
explorer Dirk Hartog.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eendracht_%281615_ship%29>
1854:
Charge of the Light Brigade: Lord Cardigan led his cavalry to disaster
in the Battle of Balaclava during the Crimean War.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charge_of_the_Light_Brigade>
1922:
The Third Dáil adopted the Constitution of the Irish Free State, based
on the requirements of the Anglo-Irish Treaty establishing the first
independent Irish state to be recognised by the British.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constitution_of_the_Irish_Free_State>
1924:
The Zinoviev Letter, later found to be a forgery, was published in the
Daily Mail, helping to ensure the British Labour Party's defeat in the
UK general election four days later.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zinoviev_Letter>
1971:
The UN General Assembly adopted Resolution 2758, replacing the Republic
of China with the People's Republic of China as China's representative
at the United Nations.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/China_and_the_United_Nations>
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Wiktionary's word of the day:
abigeat (n):
(archaic) Theft of cattle in herds
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/abigeat>
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Wikiquote quote of the day:
This day is call'd — the feast of Crispian:
He that outlives this day, and comes safe home,
Will stand a tip-toe
when this day is nam'd,
And rouse him at the name of Crispian.
He that outlives this day, and
sees old age,
Will yearly on the vigil feast his friends,
And say, "To-morrow is
Saint Crispian;"
Then will he strip his sleeve, and show his scars,
And say, "These
wounds I had on Crispin's day."
Old men forget; yet all shall be forgot,
But he'll remember, with
advantages,
What feats he did that day. Then shall our names,
Familiar in his
mouth as household words, —
Harry the King, Bedford, and Exeter,
Warwick and Talbot, Salisbury and
Gloucester,
Be in their flowing cups freshly remember'd.
This story shall the good
man teach his son;
And Crispin Crispian shall ne'er go by
From this day to the ending of
the world,
But we in it shall be remember'd, —
We few, we happy few, we band of
brothers.
For he to-day that sheds his blood with me,
Shall be my brother; be he
ne'er so vile,
This day shall gentle his condition:
And gentlemen in England, now
a-bed,
Shall think themselves accurs'd, they were not here,
And hold their
manhoods cheap, whiles any speaks,
That fought with us upon Saint Crispin's day.
King Henry V
as
portrayed in
Henry V
by
--William Shakespeare
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/William_Shakespeare>