The Hrafnkels saga is an Icelandic saga telling of struggles between
chieftains in the east of Iceland in the 10th century. The eponymous
main character, Hrafnkell, starts out his career as a fearsome duelist
and a dedicated worshipper of the god Freyr. After suffering defeat,
humiliation, and the destruction of his temple, he becomes an atheist.
His character changes and he becomes more peaceful in dealing with
others. After gradually rebuilding his power base for several years,
he achieves revenge against his enemies and lives out the rest of his
life as a powerful and respected chieftain. The saga has been read as
the story of a man who realizes that the true basis of power is not
belief in the gods but the loyalty of one's subordinates. It is widely
read today and appreciated for its logical structure, plausibility and
vivid characters. For these reasons, it has served as a test case in
the dispute on the origins of the Icelandic sagas.
Read the rest of this article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hrafnkels_saga
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
364:
Valentinian I was elected Roman Emperor by officers of the Roman
military at Nicaea, Bithynia.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valentinian_I)
1784:
John Wesley, a minister of the Church of England, chartered the first
Methodist Church.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Methodism)
1935:
Wallace Carothers invented nylon, a synthetic polymer.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/nylon)
1947:
The 228 Incident: Civil disorder in Taipei and Keelung was brutally
suppressed by the Chinese Nationalist military.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/228_Incident)
1983:
The final episode of the television series M*A*S*H was broadcast, and
became the most-watched television program in history.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M*A*S*H_%28TV_series%29)
_____________________
Wikiquote of the day:
"Of all our infirmities, the most savage is to despise our being." --
Michel de Montaigne
(http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Michel_de_Montaigne)
The Great Lakes Storm of 1913 was a blizzard with hurricane-force
winds that devastated the Great Lakes basin in the United States
Midwest and the Canadian province of Ontario from November 7 to
November 10, 1913. The deadliest natural disaster to ever hit the
lakes, it killed over 250 people, destroyed 19 ships, and stranded 19
others. The financial loss in vessels alone was nearly USD$5 million,
or about USD$100 million in present-day adjusted dollars. The large
loss of cargo, including coal, iron ore, and grain, meant short-term
rising prices for consumer products throughout North America. The
storm originated as the convergence of two major storm fronts that was
fuelled by the lakes' relatively warm waters, a seasonal process
historically called a "November gale." It produced 90 mile per hour
(145 km/hour) winds, waves over 35 feet (11 m) high, and whiteout snow
squalls.
Read the rest of this article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Lakes_Storm_of_1913
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1594:
The King of Navarre was crowned King Henry IV of France at the
Cathedral of Chartres near Paris, beginning the Bourbon dynasty.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_IV_of_France)
1617:
Sweden signed the Treaty of Stolbovo to end the Ingrian War with
Russia, making large territorial gains.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty_of_Stolbovo)
1933:
The Reichstag building was set on fire, a pivotal event in the
establishment of the Nazi regime in Germany.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reichstag_fire)
1976:
The Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic was proclaimed in Western Sahara.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_Sahara)
2002:
Ethnic conflict in India: The death of 58 Hindu pilgrims in a train
fire triggered a violent riot in Gujarat, killing at least 1,000
people, mostly Muslims, in the following days.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2002_Gujarat_violence)
_____________________
Wikiquote of the day:
"The writer is delegated to declare and to celebrate man's proven
capacity for greatness of heart and spirit— for gallantry in
defeat— for courage, compassion and love. In the endless war against
weakness and despair, these are the bright rally-flags of hope and of
emulation. I hold that a writer who does not passionately believe in
the perfectibility of man, has no dedication nor any membership in
literature." -- John Steinbeck
(http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/John_Steinbeck)
The Lord's Resistance Army is a rebel paramilitary group operating in
northern Uganda, and as of February 2005 is engaged in an armed
conflict against the Ugandan government. It is led by Joseph Kony, who
proclaims himself a spirit medium and apparently wishes to establish a
state based on his unique interpretation of Biblical millenarianism.
The rebels have been accused of many atrocities in the area. It is
estimated that around 20,000 children have been kidnapped by the group
since 1987 for use as as soldiers and sex slaves. LRA practices such
as mutilation, enforced prostitution and enlisting children under the
age of 15 into armed groups are war crimes. The group abducts its
members primarily from the Acholi people, but it lacks widespread
support among the Acholis, who have been the victims of many of its
tactics. The insurgency has been mainly contained to the region known
as Acholiland, consisting of the districts of Kitgum, Gulu, and Pader,
though since 2002 violence has overflowed into other districts,
including Lira, Apac and Adjumani.
Read the rest of this article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lord%27s_Resistance_Army
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1266:
King Manfred of Sicily was killed near Benevento, fighting Angevin
forces led by Charles, the Count of Anjou.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manfred_of_Sicily)
1815:
Napoléon Bonaparte escaped from Elba.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Napoleon_I_of_France)
1935:
Adolf Hitler ordered the German air force Luftwaffe reinstated,
violating the Treaty of Versailles signed at the end of World War I.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luftwaffe)
1935:
In Daventry, England, Robert Watson-Watt first demonstrated the use of
radar.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Watson-Watt)
1993:
World Trade Center bombing: A van rented by Ramzi Yousef exploded in
the underground garage of the World Trade Center in New York City,
killing six and injuring more than a thousand.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ramzi_Yousef)
_____________________
Wikiquote of the day:
"The true division of humanity is between those who live in light and
those who live in darkness. Our aim must be to diminish the number of
the latter and increase the number of the former. That is why we
demand education and knowledge." -- Victor Hugo
(http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Victor_Hugo)
Sir John Vanbrugh was an English architect and dramatist, best known
as the designer of Blenheim Palace. He wrote two argumentative and
outspoken Restoration comedies, The Relapse (1696) and The Provoked
Wife (1697), which have become enduring stage favourites but
originally occasioned much controversy. Vanbrugh was in many senses a
radical throughout his life. As a young man and a committed Whig, he
was part of the scheme to overthrow James II, put William III on the
throne and protect English parliamentary democracy, dangerous
undertakings which landed him in the dreaded Bastille of Paris as a
political prisoner. In his career as a playwright, he offended many
sections of Restoration and 18th-century society, not only by the
sexual explicitness of his plays, but by their messages in defence of
women's rights in marriage. His architectural work was as bold and
daring as his early political activism and his marriage-themed plays,
and jarred conservative opinions on the subject.
Read the rest of this article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Vanbrugh
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1570:
Pope Pius V issued the papal bull Regnans in Excelsis to excommunicate
Queen Elizabeth I and her followers in the Church of England.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regnans_in_Excelsis)
1836:
Samuel Colt received a patent for the revolver.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/revolver)
1912:
Marie-Adélaïde, the eldest of six daughters of William IV, became the
first reigning Grand Duchess of Luxembourg.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marie-Ad%E9la%EFde_of_Luxembourg)
1921:
The Democratic Republic of Georgia was occupied by the Soviet Red
Army.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Democratic_Republic_of_Georgia)
1986:
EDSA Revolution: Corazón Aquino was inaugurated as President of the
Philippines, as Ferdinand Marcos fled the nation after 20 years of
rule.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coraz%F3n_Aquino)
_____________________
Wikiquote of the day:
Little darling, I feel that ice is slowly melting. Little darling, It
seems like years since it's been clear. Here comes the sun... Here
comes the sun, And I say It's alright. -- George Harrison --
(http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/George_Harrison)
Sid McMath was a U.S. Marine hero and progressive Democratic reform
Governor of the State of Arkansas from 1949–1953. In defiance of his
state's political establishment, he championed rapid extension of
rural electric power, massive highway and school construction, the
building of the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, repeal of
the poll tax, open and honest elections and broad expansion of
opportunity for black citizens in the decade following World War II.
He remained loyal to President Harry S. Truman during the "Dixiecrat"
rebellion of 1948, campaigning throughout the South for Truman's
re-election. As a former governor, McMath led the opposition to
segregationist Governor Orval Faubus following the 1957 Little Rock
school crisis. He later became one of the nation's foremost trial
advocates, representing thousands of injured persons in
precedent-setting cases and mentoring several generations of young
attorneys.
Read the rest of this article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sid_McMath
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
303:
Roman Emperor Galerius began to persecute Christians.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galerius)
1582:
Pope Gregory XIII announced the Gregorian calendar, a modification of
the Julian calendar in use since 45 BC.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gregorian_calendar)
1803:
Marbury v. Madison established judicial review in the United States.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marbury_v._Madison)
1848:
Louis-Philippe, the Orléanist King of the French, abdicated and
escaped to England.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis-Philippe_of_France)
1946:
Colonel Juan Perón was elected to his first term as President of
Argentina.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juan_Per%F3n)
_____________________
Wikiquote of the day:
"We think basically you watch television to turn your brain off, and
you work on your computer when you want to turn your brain on." --
Steve Jobs
(http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Steve_Jobs)
In cosmology, the Big Bang is the scientific theory that concerns the
early development and shape of the universe. The central idea is that
the theory of general relativity can be combined with the observations
on the largest scales of galaxies receding from each other to
extrapolate the conditions of the universe back or forward in time. A
natural consequence of the Big Bang is that in the past the universe
had a higher temperature and a higher density. The term "Big Bang" is
used both in a narrow sense to refer to a point in time when the
observed expansion of the universe (Hubble's law) began, and in a more
general sense to refer to the prevailing cosmological paradigm
explaining the origin and evolution of the universe. The term "Big
Bang" was coined in 1949 by Fred Hoyle during a BBC radio program, The
Nature of Things. Hoyle did not subscribe to the theory and intended
to mock the concept. In current physical models, the universe 13.7
billion years ago would have had the form of a gravitational
singularity, at which all time and distance measurements become
meaningless and temperatures and pressures become infinite.
Read the rest of this article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Bang
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1455:
Johannes Gutenberg in Mainz began printing the Gutenberg Bible.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johannes_Gutenberg)
1893:
Rudolf Diesel received a patent for the diesel engine.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/diesel_engine)
1903:
Guantanamo Bay, Cuba was perpetually leased to the United States.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guantanamo_Bay)
1945:
Joe Rosenthal took the Pulitzer Prize-winning photograph Raising the
Flag on Iwo Jima, an image that was later reproduced as the U.S.
Marine Corps War Memorial.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raising_the_Flag_on_Iwo_Jima)
1947:
The International Organization for Standardization was founded. It is
responsible for worldwide industrial and commercial ISO standards.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Organization_for_Standardization)
_____________________
Wikiquote of the day:
"If you're going to be crazy, you have to get paid for it or else
you're going to be locked up." -- Hunter S. Thompson
(http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Hunter_S._Thompson)
Roe v. Wade was the landmark 1973 United States Supreme Court decision
that recognized abortion as a constitutional right, overturning
several state laws against abortion. It remains one of the most
controversial decisions in Supreme Court history. The decision in Roe
v. Wade has sparked a decades-long national debate over when abortion
should be legal; the role of the Supreme Court in constitutional
adjudication; and the role of religious views in the political sphere.
Roe v. Wade became one of the most politically significant Supreme
Court decisions in history, reshaping national politics, dividing the
nation into "pro-choice" and "pro-life" camps, and inspiring
grassroots activism. Roe sparked widespread opposition, from those who
viewed the Court's decision as illegitimate for straying too far from
the text and history of the Constitution, as well as from those
motivated by religious and moral beliefs about the inviolability of
fetal life. It also attracted widespread support, from those who view
the decision as necessary to achieve women's equality and personal
freedom.
Read the rest of this article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roe_v._Wade
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1632:
Galileo's Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems is
published.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dialogue_Concerning_the_Two_Chief_World_Systems)
1956:
"Heartbreak Hotel" propelled Elvis Presley onto the music charts.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elvis_Presley)
1979:
Independence Day in Saint Lucia
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Lucia)
1997:
Scientists at the Roslin Institute in Scotland announced that a sheep
named Dolly had been cloned by somatic cell nuclear transfer.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dolly_the_sheep)
The Brolga is a bird in the crane family. When first described in
1810, the Brolga was misclassified as Ardea, the genus that includes
the herons and egrets. It is in fact a member of the Gruiformes; the
order that includes the crakes, rails, and cranes, and as a member of
the genus Grus. The bird was then given the name Australian crane in
1865 by John Gould. In 1926 the Royal Australasian Ornithologists
Union managed to make Brolga, a popular name derived from native
tongue, the official name of the bird. It is a common wetland
congregating bird species in tropical and eastern Australia, well
known for its intricate mating dance.
Read the rest of this article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brolga
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1472:
James III of Scotland annexed the Orkney and Shetland Islands from
Denmark-Norway.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orkney_Islands)
1810:
Andreas Hofer, a Tyrolean patriot and the leader of a rebellion
against Napoleon's forces, was executed.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andreas_Hofer)
1913:
King O'Malley drove in the first survey peg to mark the commencement
of work on the construction of Canberra, Australia.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Canberra)
1959:
The Avro Arrow supersonic jet fighters programme in Canada was
cancelled by the Diefenbaker government.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avro_Arrow)
1965:
The Ranger 8 spacecraft successfully transmitted 7,137 photographs of
the moon in the final 23 minutes of its mission before crashing in
Mare Tranquillitatis.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ranger_8)
_____________________
Wikiquote of the day:
"All in all is all we are." -- Kurt Cobain
(http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Kurt_Cobain)
In Scientology doctrine, Xenu is a galactic ruler who, 75 million
years ago, brought billions of people to Earth, stacked them around
volcanoes and blew them up with hydrogen bombs. Their souls then
clustered together and stuck to the bodies of the living. These events
are known as "Incident II" or "The Wall of Fire", and the traumatic
memories associated with them as the R6 implant. Scientology founder
L. Ron Hubbard detailed the story in Operating Thetan level III in
1967, famously warning that R6 was "calculated to kill (by pneumonia
etc) anyone who attempts to solve it." Much controversy between the
Church of Scientology and its critics has focused on Xenu. The Church
avoids making mention of Xenu in public statements and has gone to
considerable effort to maintain the story's confidentiality, including
legal action on both copyright and trade secrecy grounds. Critics
claim that revealing the story is in the public interest, given the
high prices charged for OT III. The Xenu story prompted the use of the
volcano as a Scientology symbol.
Read the rest of this article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xenu
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1594:
King Sigismund III of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth was crowned
King of Sweden.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sigismund_III_of_Poland)
1674:
The Third Anglo-Dutch War ended with the signing of the Treaty of
Westminster.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Third_Anglo-Dutch_War)
1942:
Air raids on Darwin: The capital of Northern Territory, Australia was
devastated by 242 bombers and fighters of the Imperial Japanese Navy.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air_raids_on_Darwin%2C_February_19%2C_1942)
1942:
U.S. Executive Order 9066 was signed, authorising the relocation and
confinement of over 112,000 Japanese Americans.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Executive_Order_9066)
1986:
The Soviet Union launched the space station Mir, the first long-term
research station in space.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mir)
_____________________
Wikiquote of the day:
"I am not so enamored of my own opinions that I disregard what others
may think of them. I am aware that a philosopher's ideas are not
subject to the judgement of ordinary persons, because it is his
endeavor to seek the truth in all things, to the extent permitted to
human reason by God. Yet I hold that completely erroneous views should
be shunned." -- Nicolaus Copernicus
(http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Nicolaus_Copernicus)
Graffiti is a type of deliberate human markings on property. Graffiti
can take the form of art, drawings, or words, and is illegal vandalism
when done without the property owner's consent. Its origin can be
traced back to ancient civilizations such as the Roman Empire and
Ancient Greece. Graffiti originally was the term used for
inscriptions, figure drawings, etc., found on the walls of ancient
sepulchers or ruins, as in the Catacombs, or at Pompeii. It has
evolved to include any decorations inscribed on any surface that are
considered to be vandalism or pictures or writing placed on surfaces,
usually outside walls and sidewalks, without the permission of the
owner. Thus, inscriptions made by the authors of a monument are not
considered graffiti.
Read the rest of this article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Graffiti
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1861:
With the Italian unification almost complete, King Victor Emmanuel II
of Piedmont, Savoy and Sardinia assumed the title as King of Italy.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victor_Emmanuel_II_of_Italy)
1861:
Jefferson Davis was inaugurated as the first (and only) President of
the Confederate States of America.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jefferson_Davis)
1885:
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain was first published.
It was subsequently banned.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Adventures_of_Huckleberry_Finn)
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/Joseph_Goebbels)
_____________________
Wikiquote of the day:
"Teachers are those who use themselves as bridges, over which they
invite their students to cross; then having facilitated their
crossing, joyfully collapse, encouraging them to create bridges of
their own." -- Nikos Kazantzakis
(http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Nikos_Kazantzakis)