Enceladus is the sixth-largest moon of Saturn, and was discovered in
1789 by William Herschel. Until the two Voyager spacecraft and Pioneer
11 passed near it in the early 1980s, very little was known about this
small moon besides the identification of water ice on its surface. The
Voyagers showed that Enceladus is only 500 kilometers in diameter and
reflects almost 100% of the sunlight that strikes it. The Cassini
orbiter performed several close flybys of Enceladus in 2005, revealing
the moon's surface and environment in greater detail. In particular,
the probe discovered a water-rich plume venting from the moon's south
polar region. This discovery, along with the presence of escaping
internal heat and very few (if any) impact craters in the south polar
region, shows that Enceladus is geologically active today. Enceladus
is one of only three outer solar system bodies where active eruptions
have been observed. Analysis of the outgassing suggests that it
originates from a body of sub-surface liquid water, which along with
the unique chemistry found in the plume, has fueled speculations that
Enceladus may be important in the study of astrobiology. (More...)
Read the rest of this article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enceladus_%28moon%29
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1402:
Forces under Timur defeated the Ottomans in the Battle of Ankara and
captured Sultan Bayezid I.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timur)
1866:
The Austrian Navy led by Wilhelm von Tegetthoff defeated a much larger
Italian fleet in the Battle of Lissa.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Lissa_%281866%29)
1944:
Claus von Stauffenberg and others in the German Resistance attempted
to assassinate Adolf Hitler.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/July_20_Plot)
1969:
The Apollo 11 lunar module landed on the Sea of Tranquillity, where
Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin (pictured) became the first men to walk
on the moon.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo_11)
1976:
The Viking 1 spacecraft landed on Mars.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viking_1)
_____________________
Wikiquote of the day:
"You don't have to be a fantastic hero to do certain things — to
compete. You can be just an ordinary chap, sufficiently motivated to
reach challenging goals. The intense effort, the giving of everything
you've got, is a very pleasant bonus." -- Sir Edmund Hillary
(http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Edmund_Hillary)
Final Fantasy X is the tenth installment in the Final Fantasy
role-playing game series, and the first game of the series to be
released on the PlayStation 2. Introduced in 2001, it was once among
the top twenty best-selling console games of all time, and has sold in
excess of 7.93 million copies worldwide. Set in the fantasy world of
Spira, the game's story centers around a group of adventurers and
their quest to defeat a rampaging force known as "Sin." The game is
significant in the Final Fantasy series in that it marks the
transition from entirely pre-rendered backdrops to fully
three-dimensional areas with the PlayStation 2’s robust graphical
capabilities. Additionally, it is the first in the series to feature a
wide range of realistic facial expressions, as well as other
technological developments in graphical effects, such as variance in
lighting and shadow from one section of a character's clothing to the
next. Final Fantasy X is also the first in the series to feature
voice-over actors, as well as the first to spawn a direct sequel,
Final Fantasy X-2. (More...)
Read the rest of this article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Final_Fantasy_X
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
711:
– Roderic and the Visigoths in Iberia were defeated in the Battle of
Guadalete by Moorish Umayyad invaders led by Tariq ibn-Ziyad.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roderic)
1553:
– Lady Jane Grey was replaced by Mary I of England (pictured) as Queen
of England after holding that title for just nine days.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_I_of_England)
1848:
– The two-day Women's Rights Convention opened in Seneca Falls, New
York, United States.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seneca_Falls_Convention)
1870:
– France declared war on Prussia, starting the Franco-Prussian War.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franco-Prussian_War)
1947:
– Burmese nationalist Aung San was assassinated.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aung_San)
1979:
– Sandinista rebels overthrew the US-backed government of the Somoza
family in Nicaragua.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sandinista)
_____________________
Wikiquote of the day:
"Truth is never ugly when one can find in it what one needs." -- Edgar
Degas
(http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Edgar_Degas)
Cape Town is the third most populous city in South Africa, forming
part of the metropolitan municipality of the City of Cape Town. It is
the provincial capital of the Western Cape, as well as the legislative
capital of South Africa, where the National Parliament and many
government offices are located. Cape Town is famous for its harbour as
well as its natural setting in the Cape floral kingdom, including such
well-known landmarks as Table Mountain and Cape Point. Often regarded
as one of the world's most beautiful cities because of its geography,
Cape Town is the most popular South African destination for tourism.
Cape Town originally developed as a refuelling station for Dutch ships
sailing to Eastern Africa, India, and Asia. Jan van Riebeeck's arrival
on April 6, 1652 established the first permanent European settlement
in sub-Saharan Africa. Cape Town quickly outgrew its original purpose
as the first European outpost at the Castle of Good Hope. It was the
largest city in South Africa until the growth of Johannesburg.
(More...)
Read the rest of this article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cape_Town
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
64:
The Great Fire of Rome burned completely out of control, while Roman
Emperor Nero reportedly played his lyre and sang as he watched the
blaze from a safe distance.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Fire_of_Rome)
1863:
American Civil War: The first formal African American military unit,
the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry, saw action against the
Confederacy's Fort Wagner.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/54th_Massachusetts_Volunteer_Infantry)
1925:
Adolf Hitler published his personal manifesto Mein Kampf.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mein_Kampf)
1944:
General TÅ?jÅ? Hideki (pictured) was forced to resign as Prime
Minister of Japan after a series of setbacks towards the end of World
War II.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hideki_Tojo)
1982:
The Guatemalan army and allied paramilitaries slaughtered upwards of
250 Maya campesinos in the Plan de Sánchez massacre.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plan_de_S%C3%A1nchez_massacre)
_____________________
Wikiquote of the day:
"To endure is greater than to dare; to tire out hostile fortune; to be
daunted by no difficulty; to keep heart when all have lost it; to go
through intrigue spotless; and to forgo even ambition when the end is
gained — who can say this is not greatness?" -- William Makepeace
Thackeray |Year=2006}}
(http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/William_Makepeace_Thackeray)
The F-35 Lightning II, called in development the Joint Strike Fighter
(JSF), is a military fighter aircraft designed by the United States
and the United Kingdom. It is intended to replace the current
generation of strike fighters, particularly the vertical take off and
landing (VTOL) Harrier jump jets: the AV-8 Harrier II (US), Harrier
GR7/9 (UK), and the Sea Harrier, along with the conventional A-10
Thunderbolt II, F/A-18 Hornet and the F-16 Fighting Falcon. It will
be
a multi-role strike fighter (a plane with a strong emphasis on close
air support and tactical bombing as well as being capable of
air-to-air combat), and will make considerable use of stealth
technology in that it will be almost undetectable (stealthy) to
X-band
radars (tracking radars, often short range) in the forward hemisphere
but not particularly stealthy in the rear hemisphere and not stealthy
to L band (search radars, often long range) in either hemisphere. It
is currently in production with Lockheed Martin, along with partners
Northrop Grumman, BAE Systems, and Smiths Aerospace.
Read the rest of this article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/F-35_Lightning_II
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1815:
Napoleonic Wars: Napoléon surrendered to British forces at Rochefort,
France, ending the Hundred Days.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Napoleon_I_of_France)
1936:
Nationalist rebels in Spain attempt a coup d'etat against the Second
Spanish Republic, commencing the Spanish Civil War.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spanish_Civil_War)
1945:
Winston Churchill, Joseph Stalin and Harry S. Truman met at the
Potsdam Conference to decide how to administer post-World War II
Germany.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Potsdam_Conference)
1955:
Walt Disney's first theme park Disneyland opens in Anaheim,
California.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disneyland)
1975:
History of East Timor: East Timor was annexed and became the 27th
province of Indonesia.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_East_Timor)
1996:
Paris-bound TWA Flight 800 exploded off the coast of Long Island, New
York, killing all 230 on board.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TWA_Flight_800)
1998:
Biologists reported in the journal Science how they sequenced the
genome of the bacterium that causes syphilis, Treponema pallidum.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treponema_pallidum)
_____________________
Wikiquote of the day:
Were I so tall to reach the pole,Or grasp the ocean with my span,I
must be measured by my soul;The mind's the standard of the man. --
Isaac Watts
(http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Isaac_Watts)
The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom is the head of Her Majesty's
Government and so exercises many of the executive functions nominally
vested in the Sovereign, who is head of state. According to custom,
the Prime Minister and his or her cabinet are accountable for their
actions to Parliament, of which they are members by (modern)
convention. The current Prime Minister is Tony Blair of the Labour
Party, who has been in office since 1997. As the title suggests, the
Prime Minister is the monarch's principal advisor. Historically, the
monarch's chief minister might have held any of a number of offices:
Lord Chancellor, Archbishop of Canterbury, Lord High Steward,
Chancellor of the Exchequer, Lord Privy Seal, or Secretary of State
among others. With the emergence, in the 18th century, of government
by a cabinet of these ministers, its head came in time to be called
the "Prime Minister"; to this day the Prime Minister always also
holds
one of the more specific ministerial positions, usually that of First
Lord of the Treasury, if only in a nominal sense. Sir Robert Walpole
is generally regarded as the first Prime Minister in the modern
sense.
Read the rest of this article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prime_Minister_of_the_United_Kingdom
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
622:
Beginning of the Islamic calendar.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islamic_calendar)
1918:
Russian Revolution: Bolsheviks executed Tsar Nicholas II of Russia
and his family at Ekaterinburg.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicholas_II_of_Russia)
1945:
Manhattan Project: "Trinity", the first nuclear test explosion, was
detonated near Alamogordo, New Mexico, United States.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trinity_test)
1979:
Saddam Hussein took over as President of Iraq, succeeding Ahmed
Hassan al-Bakr.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saddam_Hussein)
1994:
The planet Jupiter was hit by fragments of the Shoemaker-Levy 9
comet.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shoemaker-Levy_9)
_____________________
Wikiquote of the day:
"If you build it, he will come." -- "The Voice" in Field of Dreams
(http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Field_of_Dreams)
Bangladesh is a country in South Asia. It is bordered by India on
three sides and Myanmar to the southeast; the Bay of Bengal forms the
southern coastline. Together with the Indian state of West Bengal,
it
comprises the ethno-linguistic region of Bengal. The borders of
Bangladesh were set by the Partition of India in 1947, when it became
the eastern wing of Pakistan (East Pakistan), separated from the
western wing by 1,600 km (1,000 miles). Despite their common
religion,
the ethnic and linguistic gulf between the two wings was compounded
by
an apathetic government based in West Pakistan. This resulted in the
independence of Bangladesh in 1971 after a bloody war, supported by
India. The years following independence have been marked by
political
turmoil, with thirteen different heads of government, and at least
four military coups. The population of Bangladesh ranks eighth in
the
world, but its area of approximately 144,000 sq km is ranked
ninety-third. It is also one of the most densely populated countries
in the world. Geographically dominated by the fertile
Ganges-Brahmaputra Delta, the country has annual monsoon floods, and
cyclones are frequent.
Read the rest of this article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bangladesh
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1789:
French Revolution: Parisians stormed the Bastille.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/storming_of_the_Bastille)
1798:
The Sedition Act became United States law, making it a federal crime
to write, publish, or utter false or malicious statements about the
U.S. government.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alien_and_Sedition_Acts)
1933:
Gleichschaltung: All political parties in Germany were outlawed,
except the National Socialist German Workers Party.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gleichschaltung)
1958:
King Faisal II, the last king of Iraq, was overthrown by Abdul Karim
Qassim.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abdul_Karim_Qassim)
1965:
Mariner 4 flew past Mars, collecting the first close-up pictures of
another planet.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mariner_4)
_____________________
Wikiquote of the day:
"Regardless of whether I believe or not, whether I am a Christian or
not, I would play my part in the collective building of the
cathedral." -- Ingmar Bergman
(http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Ingmar_Bergman)
Wayne Gretzky is a former professional ice hockey player and is
currently part-owner and head coach of the Phoenix Coyotes.
Nicknamed
"The Great One", he is regarded as the best player of his era and has
been called "the greatest hockey player ever" by sportswriters,
coaches, and fans. Along with his many awards and achievements, he
is
the only player to ever have his playing number, 99, officially
retired across the entire National Hockey League. He set 40 regular
season records (including 9 MVP awards and 10 scoring titles), 15
playoff records, 6 All-Star records, and won four Stanley Cups with
the Edmonton Oilers. He was the only player to total over 200 points
in a season, accomplishing the feat 4 times. He retired from playing
in 1999, becoming Executive Director for the Canadian national men's
hockey team during the 2002 Winter Olympics. He became part-owner of
the Phoenix Coyotes in 2000, and their head coach following the
2004-05 NHL lockout.
Read the rest of this article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayne_Gretzky
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1772:
HMS Resolution set sail from Plymouth, England, under the command of
Captain James Cook.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Resolution_%28Cook%29)
1793:
Jean-Paul Marat, a leader in the French Revolution, was murdered in
his bathtub by Charlotte Corday.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean-Paul_Marat)
1878:
The major powers in Europe redrew the map of the Balkans in the
Treaty of Berlin.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty_of_Berlin%2C_1878)
1923:
The Hollywoodland Sign was officially dedicated in the hills above
Hollywood, California. The last four letters of the sign were later
removed in 1949.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hollywood_Sign)
1985:
Live Aid benefit concerts, organised by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure to
raise funds for famine relief in Ethiopia, were held in London and
Philadelphia.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Live_Aid)
_____________________
Wikiquote of the day:
To-morrow comes, true copy of to-day,And empty shadow of what is to
be;Yet cheated Hope on future still depends,And ends but only when
our
being ends. -- John Clare
(http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/John_Clare)
Microsoft is an international computer technology corporation with
2005 global sales of US$42.64 billion and more than 63,000 employees
in 102 countries and regions that develop, manufacture, license, and
support a wide range of software products for computing devices.
Headquartered in Redmond, Washington, USA, its most popular products
are the Microsoft Windows operating system and the Microsoft Office
suite of productivity software, each of which has achieved near
ubiquity in the desktop computer market. Microsoft possesses
footholds
in other markets, with assets such as the MSNBC cable television
network, the MSN Internet portal, and the Microsoft Encarta
multimedia
encyclopedia. The company also markets both computer hardware
products
such as the Microsoft mouse, as well as home entertainment products
such as the Xbox, the Xbox 360, and MSN TV.
Read the rest of this article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1302:
Flemish infantry successfully halted a French invasion near Kortrijk
in the Battle of the Golden Spurs.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_the_Golden_Spurs)
1789:
French Revolution: Jacques Necker was dismissed as Director-General
of Finances and ordered to leave France at once.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacques_Necker)
1804:
In Weehawken, New Jersey, former U.S. Treasury Secretary Alexander
Hamilton was fatally wounded in a duel with Vice President Aaron
Burr.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hamilton-Burr_duel)
1811:
Italian scientist Amedeo Avogadro published a hypothesis on the
molecular content of gases, now known as Avogadro's law.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amedeo_Avogadro)
1957:
Prince Karim El Husseni succeeded Sultan Mahommed Shah as the Aga
Khan, becoming the 49th Imam of the Shi'a Ismaili Muslims.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aga_Khan_IV)
_____________________
Wikiquote of the day:
"Posterity: you will never know how much it has cost my generation to
preserve your freedom. I hope you will make good use of it." -- John
Quincy Adams
(http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/John_Quincy_Adams)
The Mauthausen-Gusen concentration camp grew to become a large group
of Nazi concentration camps that were built around the villages of
Mauthausen and Gusen in Upper Austria. Though initially it consisted
of a single camp at Mauthausen, with time it was expanded to become
one of the largest labour camp complexes in German-occupied Europe.
Apart from the four main sub-camps at Mauthausen and nearby Gusen,
more than 50 sub-camps of the camp complex, located in all parts of
Austria and southern Germany used the inmates as slave labour.
Several
subordinate camps of the KZ Mauthausen complex included quarries,
munitions factories, mines, arms factories and Me 262 fighter-plane
assembly plants. In January of 1945, the camps — directed from the
central office in Mauthausen — had a total of roughly 85,000
inmates.
The death toll remains unknown, although most sources place it
between
122,766 and 320,000 for the entire complex. The camps formed one of
the first massive concentration camp complexes in Nazi Germany, and
were the last ones to be liberated by the Allies.
Read the rest of this article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mauthausen-Gusen_concentration_camp
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1357:
The foundation stone of Charles Bridge in Prague was laid by Holy
Roman Emperor Charles IV at 5:31 a.m.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Bridge)
1816:
The Congress of Tucumán declared the independence of Argentina, then
known as the United Provinces of the River Plate, from Spain.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Congress_of_Tucum%C3%A1n)
1922:
Johnny Weissmuller swam the 100-meter freestyle in 58.6 seconds,
breaking a world swimming record and the "minute barrier."
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johnny_Weissmuller)
1955:
The Russell-Einstein Manifesto was issued in the midst of the Cold
War, calling for a conference where scientists would "appraise the
perils that have arisen as a result of the development of weapons of
mass destruction".
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russell-Einstein_Manifesto)
2002:
The African Union was launched in Durban, South Africa.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/African_Union)
_____________________
Wikiquote of the day:
"I can get excitement watching rain on a puddle. And then I paint
it.
Now, I admit, there are not too many people who would find that
exciting. But I would. And I want life thrilling and rich. And it
is.
I make sure it is." -- David Hockney
(http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/David_Hockney)
Nauru is an island nation in the Micronesian South Pacific. The
nearest neighbour is Banaba Island in the Republic of Kiribati, 300
km
due east. Nauru is the world's smallest island nation, covering just
21 km² (8.1 sq. mi), the smallest independent republic, and the only
nation in the world without an official capital. Initially inhabited
by Micronesian and Polynesian peoples, Nauru was annexed by Germany
in
the late 19th century, and became a mandate territory administered by
Australia, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom following World War
I.
The island was occupied by Japan during World War II, and after the
war entered into trusteeship again. Nauru achieved independence in
1968. With the exhaustion of phosphate reserves, its environment
severely degraded by mining, and the trust established to manage the
island's wealth significantly reduced in value, the government of
Nauru has resorted to unusual measures to obtain income. In the
1990s,
Nauru briefly became a tax haven and since 2001 has accepted aid from
the Australian government; in exchange for this aid, Nauru houses an
'offshore' detention centre that holds and processes asylum seekers
trying to enter Australia.
Read the rest of this article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nauru
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1497:
Vasco da Gama set sail on the first direct European voyage to India.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vasco_da_Gama)
1709:
Great Northern War: At Poltava, Ukraine, Peter I of Russia defeated
Charles XII of Sweden in the Battle of Poltava, effectively ending
Sweden's role as a major power in Europe.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Poltava)
1776:
The Liberty Bell was rung to summon citizens of Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania for the reading of the Declaration of Independence by the
Continental Congress.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liberty_Bell)
1889:
The first issue of the Wall Street Journal was published.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wall_Street_Journal)
1947:
Newspapers in Roswell, New Mexico reported the capture of a "flying
saucer" by the U.S. military.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roswell_UFO_incident)
_____________________
Wikiquote of the day:
"It is not the end of the physical body that should worry us.
Rather,
our concern must be to live while we're alive — to release our inner
selves from the spiritual death that comes with living behind a
facade
designed to conform to external definitions of who and what we are."
-- Elisabeth Kübler-Ross
(http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Elisabeth_K%C3%BCbler-Ross)