The history of erotic depictions includes representations of sexual
acts that have been created by nearly every civilisation, ancient and
modern. Early cultures often associated the sexual act with
supernatural forces and thus their religion is intertwined with their
depictions. In Asian countries such as India, Japan and China,
representations of sex and erotic art have specific meanings within
the native religions of Hinduism, Buddhism, Shinto and Taoism. The
Greeks and Romans produced much art and decoration of an erotic nature
also stemming from their religious and cultural beliefs which was
especially influential on the west. In more recent times, erotic
depictions have gone from being a luxury item to a propaganda tool and
then an every day commodity and livelihood for some. As the technology
of communication has changed, each new technique, such as printing,
photography, motion pictures and computers, has been adapted to
display and disseminate these depictions.
Read the rest of this article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_erotic_depictions
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1853:
Russian battleships led by Pavel Nakhimov destroyed an Ottoman fleet
at the Battle of Sinop, precipitating the Crimean War.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crimean_War)
1936:
The Crystal Palace, built for the Great Exhibition of 1851 in London,
England, was destroyed by fire.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Crystal_Palace)
1939:
The Winter War broke out as the Soviet Red Army invaded Finland and
quickly advanced to the Mannerheim Line.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winter_War)
1962:
Burmese diplomat U Thant became the Secretary-General of the United
Nations, after serving as Acting Secretary-General following the death
of Dag Hammarskjöld in September of that year.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U_Thant)
2005:
John Sentamu was enthroned as Archbishop of York, becoming the first
member of an ethnic minority to serve as an archbishop in the Church
of England.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Sentamu)
_____________________
Wikiquote of the day:
It is a good thing for an uneducated man to read books of quotations.
Bartlett's Familiar Quotations is an admirable work, and I studied it
intently. The quotations when engraved upon the memory give you good
thoughts. They also make you anxious to read the authors and look for
more. -- Winston Churchill
(http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Winston_Churchill)
Jaws is a 1975 horror–thriller film directed by Steven Spielberg,
based on Peter Benchley's best-selling novel of the same name. The
novel was inspired by the Jersey Shore Shark Attacks of 1916. In the
film, the police chief of Amity Island, a summer resort town, tries to
protect beachgoers from the predations of a huge great white shark by
closing the beach, only to be overruled by the money-grubbing town
council. After several attacks, the police chief proceeds to enlist
the help of a marine biologist and later a professional shark hunter
to kill the shark. The film stars Roy Scheider as police chief Martin
Brody, Richard Dreyfuss as marine biologist Matt Hooper, Robert Shaw
as the shark hunter Quint, Lorraine Gary as Brody's wife Ellen, and
Murray Hamilton as the greedy Mayor Vaughn. Jaws is regarded as a
watershed film in motion picture history, as it is the father of the
summer blockbuster movie.
Read the rest of this article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jaws_%28film%29
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1777:
San José de Guadalupe, the first town in the Spanish colony of
California, was founded.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Jose%2C_California)
1854:
The Eureka Flag was flown for the first time during the Eureka
Stockade rebellion in Australia.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eureka_Flag)
1877:
Thomas Edison demonstrated the phonograph, his invention for recording
and replaying sound, for the first time.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phonograph)
1890:
The Diet of Japan, modelled after the German Reichstag, first met,
when the Meiji Constitution went into effect in Japan.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diet_of_Japan)
1947:
The United Nations General Assembly voted to approve the Partition
Plan for Palestine, a plan to resolve the Arab-Israeli conflict in the
British Mandate of Palestine.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1947_UN_Partition_Plan)
_____________________
Wikiquote of the day:
The most dangerous thing you can do is to take any one impulse of your
own nature and set it up as the thing you ought to follow at all
costs. There's not one of them which won't make us into devils if we
set it up as an absolute guide. You might think love of humanity in
general was safe, but it isn't. If you leave out justice you'll find
yourself breaking agreements and faking evidence in trials "for the
sake of humanity" and become in the end a cruel and treacherous man.
-- C.S. Lewis
(http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/C.S._Lewis)
Duke University is a private coeducational research university located
in Durham, North Carolina, US. The school, which officially became
Duke University in 1924, traces its institutional roots to 1838. Duke
is ranked among the world's best universities. In its 2007 edition of
"America's Best Colleges," U.S. News & World Report ranked the
undergraduate division eighth in the nation, while ranking the
medical, law, and business schools among the top eleven in the
country. Besides academics, research, and athletics, Duke is also well
known for its sizeable campus and Gothic architecture, especially Duke
Chapel. Duke's 8,709 acres (35 km²) contain three main campuses in
Durham as well as a marine lab in Beaufort, North Carolina.
Read the rest of this article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duke_University
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1778:
The expedition led by James Cook reached Maui, the second largest of
the Hawaiian Islands.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maui)
1842:
The University of Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana, United States was
founded by members of the Roman Catholic Congregation of Holy Cross.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_Notre_Dame)
1922:
Howard Carter and Lord Carnarvon became the first people to enter the
tomb of Pharaoh Tutankhamun in over 3000 years.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tutankhamun)
1942:
World War II: Josip Tito and the Yugoslav Partisans convened the first
meeting of the Anti-Fascist Council of National Liberation of
Yugoslavia at Bihać in northwestern Bosnia.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AVNOJ)
1950:
Battle of Chosin Reservoir: Chinese forces in North Korea launched a
massive counterattack against South Korean and United States armed
forces, ending any thought of a quick end to the Korean War.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Chosin_Reservoir)
_____________________
Wikiquote of the day:
"Sometimes I lie awake at night and I ask, Why me?" And the voice
says, "Nothing personal your name just happened to come up." --
Charles M. Schulz
(http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Charles_M._Schulz)
Gliding is a recreational activity and competitive sport where pilots
fly un-powered aircraft known as gliders or sailplanes. Properly, the
term gliding refers to descending flight of a heavier-than-air craft,
whereas soaring is the correct term to use when the craft gains
altitude or speed from rising air. After launching glider pilots
search for rising air to gain height. If conditions are good enough,
experienced pilots can fly many hundreds, or even thousands, of
kilometers before returning to their home airfields. However if the
weather deteriorates, they must often land elsewhere, but some can
avoid this by using engines. While many glider pilots merely enjoy the
sense of achievement, some competitive pilots fly in races around
pre-defined courses. These competitions test the pilots' abilities to
make best use of local weather conditions as well as their flying
skills. Local and national competitions are organized in many
countries and there are also biennial World Gliding Championships.
Powered aircraft or winches are the most common methods of launching
gliders. These and other methods (apart from self-launching
motor-gliders) require assistance from other participants. Gliding
clubs have thus been established to share airfields and equipment,
train new pilots and maintain high safety standards.
Read the rest of this article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gliding
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1644:
John Milton published Areopagitica, arguing for the right to free
speech and against publication censorship during the English Civil
War.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Areopagitica)
1869:
Cutty Sark, one of the last sailing clippers ever to be built, was
launched at Dumbarton in Scotland.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cutty_Sark)
1971:
The People's Republic of China was given China's permanent seat on the
United Nations Security Council.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/China_and_the_United_Nations)
1985:
Omar Rezaq and two others from the Abu Nidal terrorist group hijacked
EgyptAir Flight 648 over the Mediterranean Sea.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abu_Nidal)
2003:
Rose Revolution: Eduard Shevardnadze resigned as President of Georgia
following weeks of mass protests over disputed election results.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rose_Revolution)
_____________________
Wikiquote of the day:
We can only be said to be alive in those moments when our hearts are
conscious of our treasures. -- Thornton Wilder
(http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Thornton_Wilder)
Stephen Colbert's performance at the 2006 White House Correspondents'
Association Dinner mocked the Bush administration and the White House
press corps, and subsequently generated significant controversy.
Stephen Colbert was the featured entertainer for the 2006 White House
Correspondents' Association Dinner, delivering a 20-minute speech and
video presentation which was broadcast live on C-SPAN and MSNBC.
Colbert spoke as the same character as the one he plays on The Colbert
Report: an over-the-top send-up of a conservative pundit in the
fashion of Bill O'Reilly and Sean Hannity. Colbert satirized the Bush
administration and the White House press corps. Colbert spoke directly
to President Bush several times, satirically praising his foreign
policy, lifestyle, and beliefs, and referencing his low approval
rating and popular reputation. Various reports give an impression that
Bush did not take too kindly to the performance, as several of Bush's
aides and supporters walked out during Colbert's speech, and one
former aide said that the President had "that look that he's ready to
blow." Reaction to the event caused it to become an Internet and media
sensation, and ratings for The Colbert Report soared 37% in the week
following the speech.
Read the rest of this article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephen_Colbert_at_the_2006_White_House_Corres…
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1272:
Prince Edward I became King of England, succeeding his father Henry
III who died five days earlier.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_I_of_England)
1783:
The first successful untethered flight by humans was made in a hot air
balloon constructed by the Montgolfier brothers.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hot_air_balloon)
1920:
Anglo-Irish War: The Irish Republican Army killed more than a dozen
British intelligence officers known as the Cairo Gang, and
paramilitary forces of the Royal Irish Constabulary opened fire on
players and spectators at a Gaelic football match in Dublin on Bloody
Sunday.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cairo_Gang)
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bloody_Sunday_(1920))
1977:
God Defend New Zealand became one of the national anthems of New
Zealand.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/God_Defend_New_Zealand)
_____________________
Wikiquote of the day:
Man is free at the instant he wants to be. -- Voltaire
(http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Voltaire)
A star is a massive, compact body of plasma in outer space that is
held together by its own gravity and is sufficiently massive to
sustain nuclear fusion in a very dense, hot core region. This fusion
of atomic nuclei generates the energy that is continuously radiated
from the outer layers of the star during much of its life span.
Astronomers can determine many of the properties of a star by
observing its spectrum, luminosity and motion through space.
Individual stars differ in their total mass, chemical composition, and
age. The total mass of a star is the principal determinant in its
evolution and eventual fate. Other characteristics of a star that are
determined by its evolutionary history include the diameter, rotation,
movement and temperature. A plot of the star's temperature against
luminosity, known as a Hertzsprung-Russell diagram, allows the current
age and evolutionary state of the star to be determined. Binary and
multi-star systems consist of two or more stars that are
gravitationally bound, and generally move around each other in stable
orbits. When two such stars have a relatively close orbit, their
gravitational interaction can have a significant impact on their
evolution.
Read the rest of this article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1493:
Christopher Columbus became the first European to land on Puerto Rico,
an island he named San Juan Bautista.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Puerto_Rico)
1816:
The Royal University of Warsaw, later known as Warsaw University, was
established.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warsaw_University)
1863:
U.S. President Abraham Lincoln delivered the Gettysburg Address.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gettysburg_Address)
1942:
World War II: Soviet forces under General Georgy Zhukov launched the
Operation Uranus envelopment at the Battle of Stalingrad, turning the
tide of the battle in the Soviet Union's favor.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Uranus)
1999:
Shenzhou 1, China's first unmanned test flight of the Shenzhou
spacecraft, was launched.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shenzhou_1)
_____________________
Wikiquote of the day:
Knowledge comes, but wisdom lingers, and I linger on the shore, And
the individual withers, and the world is more and more. -- Alfred,
Lord Tennyson
(http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Alfred_Tennyson)
W. S. Gilbert was an English dramatist, librettist and illustrator
best known for his fourteen comic operas produced in collaboration
with the composer Sir Arthur Sullivan. Gilbert's most popular
collaborations with Sullivan, including H.M.S. Pinafore, The Pirates
of Penzance, and The Mikado (one of the most frequently performed
works in the history of musical theatre) and most of their other Savoy
operas continue to be performed regularly today throughout the
English-speaking world and beyond by opera companies, repertory
companies, schools and community theatre groups. Lines from these
works have permanently entered the English language, including "short,
sharp shock", "What never? Well, hardly ever!", and "let the
punishment fit the crime". Gilbert also wrote the Bab Ballads, an
extensive collection of light verse accompanied by his own comical
drawings. His creative output included over 75 plays and libretti,
numerous stories, poems, lyrics and various other comic and serious
pieces. His plays and realistic style of stage direction inspired
other dramatists, including Oscar Wilde and George Bernard Shaw.
Read the rest of this article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/W._S._Gilbert
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1307:
William Tell, a legendary marksman in Switzerland, is said to have
successfully shot an apple on the head of his son with a single bolt
from his crossbow.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Tell)
1626:
St. Peter's Basilica was consecrated on the anniversary of that of the
previous church in 326.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Peter's_Basilica)
1905:
Prince Carl of Denmark became Haakon VII, the first King of Norway
after the personal union between Sweden and Norway was dissolved.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haakon_VII_of_Norway)
1987:
An underground fire kills 31 people at London's busiest underground
station at King's Cross St Pancras.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King's_Cross_fire)
1991:
The Croatian city of Vukovar is invaded by Serbians, ending an 87-day
siege.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Vukovar)
_____________________
Wikiquote of the day:
It's a feature of our age that if you write a work of fiction,
everyone assumes that the people and events in it are disguised
biography — but if you write your biography, it's equally assumed
you're lying your head off. -- Margaret Atwood
(http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Margaret_Atwood)
J. R. R. Tolkien was a British writer and university professor and is
best known as the author of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. He
was a professor of Anglo-Saxon language at Oxford University from 1925
to 1945, and of English language and literature, also at Oxford, from
1945 to 1959. He was a strongly committed Roman Catholic. Tolkien was
a close friend of C. S. Lewis, with whom he shared membership in the
literary discussion group the Inklings. In addition to The Hobbit and
The Lord of the Rings, Tolkien's published fiction includes The
Silmarillion and other posthumously published books about what he
called a legendarium, a connected body of tales, fictional histories,
invented languages, and other literary essays about an imagined world
called Arda, and Middle-earth. Most of these works were compiled from
Tolkien's notes by his son Christopher Tolkien. The enduring
popularity and influence of Tolkien's works have established him as
the "father of modern fantasy literature". Tolkien's other published
fiction includes stories not directly related to the legendarium, some
of them originally told to his children.
Read the rest of this article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J._R._R._Tolkien
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
655:
Penda of Mercia was defeated by Oswiu of Northumbria at the Battle of
the Winwaed.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_the_Winwaed)
1889:
A military coup led by Deodoro da Fonseca overthrew Emperor Pedro II
and declared Brazil a republic.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deodoro_da_Fonseca)
1920:
The first general assembly of the League of Nations was held in
Geneva, Switzerland.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/League_of_Nations)
1971:
Intel released the 4004, the world's first single-chip microprocessor.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intel_4004)
1988:
The Palestinian National Council declared the independence of the
State of Palestine.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/State_of_Palestine)
_____________________
Wikiquote of the day:
He who, when called upon to speak a disagreeable truth, tells it
boldly and has done is both bolder and milder than he who nibbles in a
low voice and never ceases nibbling. -- Johann Kaspar Lavater
(http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Johann_Kaspar_Lavater)
An Eagle Scout is a Scout with the highest rank attainable in the Boy
Scouts of America. Since its introduction in 1911, the Eagle Scout
rank has been earned by over one and a half million Scouts.
Requirements include earning a number of merit badges and
demonstration of Scout Spirit, service and leadership. Eagle Scouts
are presented with a medal and badge that visibly recognizes the
accomplishments of the Scout. Additional recognition can be earned
through Eagle Palms, awarded for completing additional tenure,
leadership and merit badge requirements.
Read the rest of this article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eagle_Scout_%28Boy_Scouts_of_America%29
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1228:
Frederick of Isenberg was executed for the murder of his cousin
Engelbert of Berg, the Archbishop of Cologne.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frederick_of_Isenberg)
1889:
Nellie Bly, reporter for the New York World, departed on her
successful attempt to travel Around the World in Eighty Days.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nellie_Bly)
1940:
Coventry Cathedral and much of the city centre of Coventry, England
was destroyed in heavy Luftwaffe bombing.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coventry_Cathedral)
1971:
Mariner 9 reached Mars, becoming the first spacecraft to orbit another
planet.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mariner_9)
1990:
Germany and Poland sign a treaty confirming their border at the
Oder-Neisse line.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oder-Neisse_line)
_____________________
Wikiquote of the day:
Peace has been said to be indivisible; so is freedom, so is prosperity
now, and so also is disaster in this One World that can no longer be
split into isolated fragments. -- Jawaharlal Nehru
(http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Jawaharlal_Nehru)
Salvador Dalí was a Catalan-Spanish artist who became one of the most
important painters of the twentieth century. A skilled draftsman, he
is best known for his surrealist work identified by its striking,
bizarre, dreamlike images. His painterly skills are often attributed
to the influence of Renaissance masters. His best known work, The
Persistence of Memory, was completed in 1931. In addition to painting,
his artistic repertoire included film, sculpture, photography, and an
Academy Award-nominated short cartoon, "Destino," on which he
collaborated with Walt Disney; it was released posthumously in 2003.
An artist of great imagination, Dalí had an affinity for doing unusual
things to draw attention to himself. This sometimes irked those who
loved his art as much as it annoyed his critics, since his eccentric
manner sometimes drew more public attention than his artwork.
Read the rest of this article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salvador_Dal%C3%AD
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1002:
King Ethelred II ordered the massacre of all Danes in England.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethelred_the_Unready)
1954:
Great Britain defeated France at the Parc des Princes in Paris to win
the first Rugby League World Cup.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rugby_League_World_Cup)
1970:
The Bhola tropical cyclone hit the densely populated Ganges Delta in
East Pakistan (now Bangladesh), killing an estimated 500,000 people.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1970_Bhola_cyclone)
1982:
The Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Constitution Gardens in Washington,
D.C. was dedicated.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vietnam_Veterans_Memorial)
1985:
The volcano Nevado del Ruiz erupted, causing a volcanic mudslide that
buried Armero, Colombia and killed approximately 23,000 people.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nevado_del_Ruiz)
_____________________
Wikiquote of the day:
The greatest dangers to liberty lurk in insidious encroachment by men
of zeal, well-meaning but without understanding. -- Louis Brandeis
(http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Louis_Brandeis)