D. B. Cooper is the name commonly used to refer to a hijacker who, on
November 24 1971, after receiving a ransom payout of US$200,000,
jumped from the back of a Boeing 727 as it was flying over the Pacific
Northwest of the United States possibly over Woodland, Washington.
Despite hundreds of suspects through the years, no conclusive evidence
has surfaced regarding Cooper's identity or whereabouts. The FBI
believes he did not survive the jump. Several theories offer competing
explanations of what happened after his famed jump. The nature of
Cooper's escape and the uncertainty of his fate continue to intrigue
people. The Cooper case remains an unsolved mystery. It has baffled
both government and private investigators for decades, with countless
leads turning into dead ends. In March 2008, the FBI thought it might
have had one of the biggest breakthroughs in the case when children
unearthed a parachute within the bounds of Cooper's probable jump site
near the town of Amboy, Washington. Experts later revealed that it did
not belong to the hijacker. Still, despite the case's infamy for its
enduring lack of evidence, a few significant clues have arisen.
Read the rest of this article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/D._B._Cooper
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1431:
Hundred Years' War: Joan of Arc was burned at the stake in Rouen,
France after being convicted of heresy in a politically motivated
trial.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joan_of_Arc)
1536:
Henry VIII of England married Jane Seymour, a lady-in-waiting to his
first two queens consort.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jane_Seymour)
1913:
The Treaty of London was signed to deal with territorial adjustments
arising out of the conclusion of the First Balkan War, declaring,
among other things, an independent Albania.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty_of_London_%281913%29)
1972:
Members of the Japanese Red Army carried out the Lod Airport
massacre in Tel Aviv, Israel on behalf of the Popular Front for the
Liberation of Palestine, killing over 20 people and injuring almost 80
others.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lod_Airport_massacre)
1989:
Goddess of Democracy, a ten meter (33 ft) high statue made mostly of
polystyrene foam and papier-mâché, was erected by student protestors
in Tiananmen Square, Beijing.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goddess_of_Democracy)
_____________________
Wiktionary's Word of the day:
obsequious: Fawning or subservient.
(http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/obsequious)
_____________________
Wikiquote of the day:
By striving to do the impossible, man has always achieved what is
possible.
-- Mikhail Bakunin
(http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Mikhail_Bakunin)
Troy McClure is a recurring fictional character in the animated
television series The Simpsons. He was voiced by Phil Hartman, and
first appeared in the episode "Homer vs. Lisa and the 8th
Commandment". McClure was based on B-movie actors Troy Donahue and
Doug McClure, as well as Hartman himself. After Phil Hartman's murder
in 1998, the character was retired, making his final appearance in the
tenth-season episode "Bart the Mother". He is one of the show's most
popular recurring characters and, had Hartman not died, might have
been the subject of a live-action film. McClure is a washed-up actor,
frequently shown presenting infomercials and educational videos. He is
vain and self-centered, marrying Selma Bouvier to aid his failing
career and quash rumors about his personal life. McClure appears as
the central character only in the episode "A Fish Called Selma", but
he hosts the episodes "The Simpsons 138th Episode Spectacular" and
"The Simpsons Spin-Off Showcase".
Read the rest of this article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Troy_McClure
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1588:
Anglo-Spanish War: The Spanish Armada (a galleass pictured), with
130 ships and over 30,000 men, set sail from Lisbon for the English
Channel to engage English naval forces.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spanish_Armada)
1644:
English Civil War: Royalist troops allegedly slaughtered up to 1,600
people during their storm and capture of the Town of Bolton.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bolton_Massacre)
1918:
The Azerbaijan Democratic Republic, one of the first democratic
republics in the Muslim world, was proclaimed in Ganja by the
Azerbaijani National Council following the breakup of the
Transcaucasian Democratic Federative Republic.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Azerbaijan_Democratic_Republic)
1961:
The British newspaper The Observer published English lawyer Peter
Benenson's article The Forgotten Prisoners, starting a letter-writing
campaign that grew and became the human rights organization Amnesty
International.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amnesty_International)
1998:
Under its nuclear development programme, the Pakistan Atomic Energy
Commission carried out five underground nuclear tests in the Chagai
Hills in the Chagai District of the Balochistan province.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chagai-I)
_____________________
Wiktionary's Word of the day:
misogyny: The hatred of, or pathological aversion to women.
(http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/misogyny)
_____________________
Wikiquote of the day:
In my books I have lifted bits from various religions in trying to
come to a better understanding; I've made use of religious themes and
symbols. Now, as the world becomes more pagan, one has to lead people
in the same direction in a different way...
-- Patrick White
(http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Patrick_White)
Nguyen Ngoc Tho was the first Prime Minister of South Vietnam, serving
from November 1963 to late January 1964. Tho was appointed to head a
civilian cabinet by General Duong Van Minh's military junta, which
came to power after overthrowing and assassinating Ngo Dinh Diem, the
nation's first president. Tho's rule was marked by a period of
confusion and weak government, as the Military Revolutionary Council
and the civilian cabinet vied for power. Tho oversaw South Vietnam's
failed land reform policy, and was accused of lacking vigour in
implementing the program because he was a large landowner. He was
noted for his faithful support of Diem during the Buddhist crisis that
ended the rule of the Ngo family. Despite being a Buddhist, Tho
staunchly defended the regime's pro-Catholic policies and its violent
actions against the Buddhist majority. Tho lost his job and retired
from politics when Minh's junta was deposed in a January 1964 coup by
General Nguyen Khanh.
Read the rest of this article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nguyen_Ngoc_Tho
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1828:
Kaspar Hauser, a foundling with suspected ties to the Royal House of
Baden, first appeared in the streets of Nuremberg, Germany.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaspar_Hauser)
1896:
The Dow Jones Industrial Average, representing twelve stocks from
various American industries, was first published by journalist Charles
Dow as a stock market index.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dow_Jones_Industrial_Average)
1918:
The Democratic Republic of Georgia was proclaimed following the
breakup of the Transcaucasian Democratic Federative Republic.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Democratic_Republic_of_Georgia)
1972:
U.S. President Richard Nixon and Soviet Leader Leonid Brezhnev
signed the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty in Moscow, concluding the
first round of the Strategic Arms Limitation Talks.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strategic_Arms_Limitation_Talks)
1986:
The European Community adopted the Flag of Europe, a flag previously
adopted by the Council of Europe in 1955.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_Europe)
_____________________
Wiktionary's Word of the day:
subsequently: Following, afterwards in either time or place.
(http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/subsequently)
_____________________
Wikiquote of the day:
Thunder only happens when it's raining. Players only love you when
they're playing. Say... Women... they will come and they will go. When
the rain washes you clean... you'll know.
-- Stevie Nicks
(http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Stevie_Nicks)
The lion is a member of the family Felidae and one of four big cats in
the genus Panthera. With exceptionally large males exceeding
250 kg (550 lb) in weight, it is the second-largest living
cat after the tiger. Wild lions currently exist in sub-Saharan Africa
and in Asia with a critically endangered remnant population in
northwest India, having disappeared from North Africa, the Middle
East, and western Asia in historic times. Until the late Pleistocene
(about 10,000 years ago), the lion was the most widespread large land
mammal beside humans. They were found in most of Africa, much of
Eurasia from western Europe to India, and the Bering land bridge and,
in the Americas, from the Yukon to Peru. Lions live for approximately
10–14 years in the wild, while in captivity they can live over
20 years. They typically inhabit savanna and grassland, although they
may take to bush and forest. Lions are unusually social compared to
other cats. A pride of lions consists of related females and offspring
and a small number of adult males. Groups of female lions typically
hunt together, preying mostly on large ungulates. The lion is an apex
and keystone predator, although they will resort to scavenging if the
opportunity arises. The lion is a vulnerable species, having seen a
possibly irreversible population decline of 30 to 50% over the past
two decades in its African range.
Read the rest of this article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lion
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1626:
Director-General of New Netherland Peter Minuit bought Manhattan
from Native Americans in exchange for trade goods valued at 60
guilders.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Minuit)
1738:
At a Moravian Church meeting in Aldersgate Street, London, John
Wesley experienced a spiritual rebirth, leading him to launch the
Methodist movement.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Wesley)
1822:
Ecuadorian War of Independence: Troops led by Antonio José de Sucre
secured the independence of Quito from Spain at the Battle of
Pichincha.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Pichincha)
1883:
New York City's Brooklyn Bridge, at the time the longest suspension
bridge in the world, was opened.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brooklyn_Bridge)
1988:
Section 28 of the United Kingdom Local Government Act of 1988, an
amendment stating that a local authority cannot intentionally promote
homosexuality, was enacted, generating so much controversy that it was
eventually repealed fifteen years later.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Section_28)
_____________________
Wiktionary's Word of the day:
pilfer: To steal in small quantities, or articles of small value; to
practise petty theft.
(http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/pilfer)
_____________________
Wikiquote of the day:
Every failure is a step to success. Every detection of what is false
directs us towards what is true: every trial exhausts some tempting
form of error.
-- William Whewell
(http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/William_Whewell)
Edward Low was a notorious pirate during the latter days of the Golden
Age of Piracy, in the early 18th century. He was born around 1690 into
poverty in Westminster, London, and was a thief and a scoundrel from a
young age. Low moved to Boston, Massachusetts as a young man.
Following the death of his wife during childbirth in late 1719, he
became a pirate two years later, operating off the coasts of New
England, the Azores, and in the Caribbean. He captained a number of
ships, usually maintaining a small fleet of three or four. Low and his
pirate crews captured at least a hundred ships during his short
career, burning most of them. Although he was only active for three
years, Low remains notorious as one of the most vicious pirates of the
age, with a reputation for violently torturing his victims before
killing them. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle described Low as "savage and
desperate", and a man of "amazing and grotesque brutality". The New
York Times called him a torturer, whose methods would have "done
credit to the ingenuity of the Spanish Inquisition in its darkest
days". The circumstances of Low's death, which took place around 1724,
have been the subject of much speculation.
Read the rest of this article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Low
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1455:
Forces led by Richard, Duke of York and Richard, Earl of Warwick
captured Lancastrian King Henry VI of England, beginning the Wars of
the Roses with a Yorkist victory in the First Battle of St Albans.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Battle_of_St_Albans)
1809:
War of the Fifth Coalition: Austrian forces under Archduke Charles
prevented Napoleon I and his French troops from crossing the Danube
near Vienna at the Battle of Aspern-Essling.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Aspern-Essling)
1915:
Five trains were involved in a crash near Gretna Green, Scotland,
killing 227 people and injuring 246 in the Quintinshill rail crash.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quintinshill_rail_crash)
1964:
During a speech at the University of Michigan, U.S. President Lyndon
B. Johnson presented the goals of his Great Society domestic social
reforms to eliminate poverty and racial injustice.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Society)
1990:
The Yemen Arab Republic and the People's Democratic Republic of
Yemen merged to become the Republic of Yemen.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yemen)
_____________________
Wiktionary's Word of the day:
nuptial: Of or pertaining to wedding and marriage.
(http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/nuptial)
_____________________
Wikiquote of the day:
Mediocrity knows nothing higher than itself; but talent instantly
recognizes genius.
-- [[Arthur Conan Doyle]]
(http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Arthur_Conan_Doyle)
Elderly Instruments is a musical instrument retailer in Lansing,
Michigan, with a national reputation as a seller, repair shop, and
locus for folk music. It specializes in fretted instruments, including
acoustic and electric guitars, bass guitars, banjos, mandolins, and
ukuleles, and maintains a selection of odd or rare instruments of many
types. Elderly is best known as a premier repair shop for fretted
instruments, as one of the larger vintage instrument dealers in the
United States, and as a large dealer of Martin guitars in particular.
Industry publications, particularly music retail trade and bluegrass
music journals, frequently feature articles about the Elderly repair
staff. The company also provides consignment services for rare and
vintage instruments. Elderly has undergone two major expansions: into
mail order in 1975 and then into Internet sales in the 1990s. Today it
is recognized internationally for its services and products; its mail
order and Internet business account for 65–70 percent of its total
revenue. Elderly grossed $12 million in 1999. In addition to retail
and repair services, Elderly Instruments is frequently noted as a
center of local music culture, particularly for bluegrass and "twang"
music. Elderly Instruments operates a wholesale record distribution
business, Sidestreet Distributing, in the lower level of its complex,
servicing more than 300 small retail businesses.
Read the rest of this article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elderly_Instruments
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1758:
French and Indian War: Ten-year-old Mary Campbell was taken captive
from her Pennsylvania home by members of the Native American group
Lenape, presumably becoming the first white child to travel to the
Connecticut Western Reserve.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Campbell)
1894:
The Manchester Ship Canal, linking Greater Manchester in North West
England to the Irish Sea, officially opened, becoming the largest
navigation canal in the world at the time.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manchester_Ship_Canal)
1904:
The Fédération Internationale de Football Association, the
international sport governing body of association football, was
founded in Paris.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FIFA)
1927:
Aboard the Spirit of St. Louis, American aviator Charles Lindbergh
completed the first solo non-stop transatlantic flight, flying from
Roosevelt Field near New York City to Le Bourget Airport near Paris.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Lindbergh)
1998:
Indonesian President Suharto resigned following the collapse of
support for his three-decade long reign.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suharto)
_____________________
Wiktionary's Word of the day:
riptide: A strong flow of water away from the shore of the ocean.
(http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/riptide)
_____________________
Wikiquote of the day:
The flying Rumours gather'd as they roll'd,Scarce any Tale was sooner
heard than told;And all who told it, added something new,And all who
heard it, made Enlargements too,In ev'ry Ear it spread, on ev'ry
Tongue it grew.
-- [[Alexander Pope]]
(http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Alexander_Pope)