The Manchester Mummy, Hannah Beswick (1688–1758), was a wealthy woman
with a pathological fear of premature burial whose body was embalmed
and kept above ground for over 100 years after her death. The "cold
dark shadow of her mummy hung over Manchester in the middle of the
eighteenth century", according to writer Edith Sitwell. The mid-18th
century saw an upsurge in the public's fear of being mistakenly buried
alive, and Beswick had seen one of her brothers show signs of life just
as his coffin lid was about to be closed. Writing in 1895, the
physician J. C. Ouseley claimed that as many as 2,700 people were
buried prematurely each year in England and Wales. For more than
50 years Beswick's mummified body was kept in an old clock case in the
home of her family physician, Dr Charles White, and periodically
checked for signs of life. Eventually it was donated to the Museum of
the Manchester Natural History Society, where it was put on display in
the entrance hall. Beswick's home was converted into workers' tenements
following her death; several of those living there claimed to have seen
an apparition dressed in a black silk gown and a white cap, and
described it as Hannah Beswick.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manchester_Mummy>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1517:
According to traditional accounts, Martin Luther first posted his
Ninety-Five Theses onto the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg,
present-day Germany, to protest what he believed were some of the Roman
Catholic clergy's sinful abuses, marking the beginning of the
Protestant Reformation.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_Luther>
1864:
The territory that is well known today as the home of the "City of
Sin", legalized gambling, legalized prostitution, and other devilish
vices became the 36th U.S. state.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nevada>
1941:
Several witnesses first reported seeing clearly visible images of four
deceased former U.S. Presidents on the face of Mount Rushmore in South
Dakota.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Rushmore>
1973:
Three Provisional Irish Republican Army members imprisoned at Dublin's
Mountjoy Prison vanished into the sky, embarrassing the government of
Taoiseach Liam Cosgrave as it launched a manhunt involving twenty
thousand members of the Irish Defence Forces and Garda Síochána for the
escapees.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1973_Mountjoy_Prison_helicopter_escape>
1999:
All 217 people on board EgyptAir Flight 990 perished when the aircraft
suddenly plummeted into the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Nantucket,
Massachusetts, USA.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EgyptAir_Flight_990>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
fetch (n):
1. The source and origin of attraction; a force, quality or propensity
which is attracting.
2. A stratagem by which a thing is indirectly brought to pass; a trick
or artifice.
3. The apparition of a living person; a wraith
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/fetch>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Youth is not a question of years: one is young or old from birth.
--Natalie Clifford Barney
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Natalie_Clifford_Barney>
Cosmo Gordon Lang (1864–1945), was an Anglican prelate who served as
Archbishop of York and Archbishop of Canterbury. As Archbishop of
Canterbury during the abdication crisis of 1936 he took a strong moral
stance, and comments he made in a subsequent broadcast were widely
condemned as uncharitable towards the departed king. In his early
ministry Lang served in slum parishes in Leeds and Portsmouth before
his appointment in 1901 as suffragan Bishop of Stepney in London. In
1908 Lang was nominated Archbishop of York, despite his relatively
junior status as a suffragan rather than a diocesan bishop. He entered
the House of Lords as a Lord Spiritual and caused consternation in
traditionalist circles by speaking and voting against the Lords'
proposal to reject David Lloyd George's 1909 "People's Budget". This
apparent radicalism was not, however, maintained in later years. At the
start of World War I, Lang was heavily criticised for a speech in which
he spoke sympathetically of the Kaiser. After the war he supported
controversial proposals for the revision of the Book of Common Prayer,
but after acceding to Canterbury he took no practical steps to resolve
this issue. As Archbishop of Canterbury he presided over the 1930
Lambeth Conference, which gave limited church approval to the use of
contraception. After denouncing the Italian invasion of Abyssinia in
1935 and strongly condemning European antisemitism, Lang later
supported the appeasement policies of the British government.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cosmo_Gordon_Lang>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1270:
An agreement between Charles I of Naples, King of Sicily, and Muhammad
I al-Mustansir, ruler of the Hafsid dynasty in Ifriqiya, ended the
Eighth Crusade and opened up free trade between the Christians and
Tunis.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eighth_Crusade>
1863:
Seventeen-year old Danish Prince Vilhelm arrived in Athens to become
George I , King of Greece.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_I_of_Greece>
1960:
Surgeon and scientist Michael Woodruff performed the first successful
kidney transplant in the United Kingdom at the Edinburgh Royal
Infirmary.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Woodruff>
1961:
The Soviet hydrogen bomb Tsar Bomba was detonated over Novaya Zemlya
Island in the Arctic Sea as a test. With a yield of around 50 megatons,
it was the largest nuclear weapon ever detonated to date.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tsar_Bomba>
1991:
The Madrid Conference, an early attempt by the international community
to start a peace process through negotiations involving Israel and the
Arab countries, convened in Madrid, Spain.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madrid_Conference_of_1991>
1995:
In a referendum, the province of Quebec voted by a very narrow margin
of 50.58 percent in favour of remaining a part of Canada.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quebec_independence_referendum%2C_1995>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
morbid (adj):
1. (originally) Of, or relating to disease.
2. Unhealthy or unwholesome, especially psychologically.
3. Suggesting
the horror of death; macabre or ghoulish.
4. Grisly or gruesome
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/morbid>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Date not the life which thou hast run by the mean of reckoning of the
hours and days, which though hast breathed: a life spent worthily
should be measured by a nobler line, — by deeds, not years...
--Richard Brinsley Sheridan
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Richard_Brinsley_Sheridan>
The Mutual Broadcasting System was an American radio network, in
operation from 1934 to 1999. Of the four national networks of American
radio's classic era, Mutual had for decades the largest number of
affiliates but the least certain financial position. In the golden age
of U.S. radio drama, the network was best known as the original home of
The Lone Ranger and The Adventures of Superman and as the long-time
radio residence of The Shadow. For many years, it was a national
broadcaster for Major League Baseball, including the All-Star Game and
World Series, and for Notre Dame football. From the mid-1930s and for
decades after, Mutual ran a highly respected news service accompanied
by a variety of popular commentary shows. Toward the end of its run as
a major programmer, it introduced the country to Larry King. For the
first 18 years of its existence, Mutual was owned and operated as a
cooperative, setting the network apart from its competitors: Mutual's
members shared their own original programming, transmission and
promotion expenses, and advertising revenues.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mutual_Broadcasting_System>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1268:
Conradin, the last Duke of Swabia, was beheaded in Naples after failing
to reclaim Sicily for the House of Hohenstaufen from Charles of Anjou.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conradin>
1787:
The opera Don Giovanni, based on the legendary fictional libertine Don
Juan and composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, premiered in the Estates
Theatre in Prague.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don_Giovanni>
1923:
Mustafa Kemal Atatürk became the first President of the Republic of
Turkey, a new nation founded from remnants of the Ottoman Empire.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mustafa_Kemal_Atat%C3%BCrk>
1929:
A catastrophic downturn in the New York Stock Exchange on "Black
Tuesday" set off the Great Depression, triggering a chain of
bankruptcies and a worldwide economic depression.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wall_Street_Crash_of_1929>
1998:
The Truth and Reconciliation Commission presented its report on
Apartheid in South Africa, condemned both the Apartheid Government and
the African National Congress for committing atrocities.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Truth_and_Reconciliation_Commission_%28South_A…>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
warp and woof (n):
1. The threads in a woven fabric, comprised of the warp (lengthwise
threads) and woof (crosswise threads).
2. (by extension) The pattern of any process tending to alternate
regularly between states
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/warp_and_woof>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
He who has provoked the lash of wit, cannot complain that he smarts
from it.
--James Boswell
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/James_Boswell>
Chaco Culture National Historical Park is a United States National
Historical Park hosting the densest and most exceptional concentration
of pueblos in the American Southwest. The Park is located in the arid
and inhospitable Four Corners region of New Mexico, in a remote canyon
cut by the Chaco Wash. Between AD 900 and 1150, Chaco Canyon was a
major center of culture for the Ancient Pueblo Peoples. Chacoans
quarried sandstone blocks and hauled timber from great distances,
assembling 15 major complexes which remained the largest buildings in
North America until the 19th century. Evidence of archaeoastronomy at
Chaco has been proposed, with the "Sun Dagger" petroglyph at Fajada
Butte a popular example. Many Chacoan buildings may have been aligned
to capture the solar and lunar cycles, requiring generations of
astronomical observations and centuries of skillfully coordinated
construction. Climate change is thought to have led to the emigration
of Chacoans and the eventual abandonment of the canyon, beginning with
a 50-year drought in 1130. The UNESCO World Heritage Site is considered
sacred ancestral homelands by the Hopi and Pueblo people, who maintain
oral accounts of their historical migration from Chaco and their
spiritual relationship to the land.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chaco_Culture_National_Historical_Park>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
312:
Constantine the Great defeated Maxentius at the Battle of the Milvian
Bridge in Rome, leading him to end the Tetrarchy and become the only
ruler of the Roman Empire.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_the_Milvian_Bridge>
1919:
The U.S. Congress passed the Volstead Act over President Woodrow
Wilson's veto, reinforcing Prohibition in the United States.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volstead_Act>
1954:
The Kingdom of the Netherlands was re-founded as a federacy with the
proclamation of the Charter for the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kingdom_of_the_Netherlands>
1965:
Nostra Aetate, the "Declaration on the Relation of the Church with
Non-Christian Religions" of the Second Vatican Council, was promulgated
by Pope Paul VI, absolving the Jews of the killing of Jesus, and
calling for increased relations with all non-Christian religions.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nostra_Aetate>
2007:
In the Argentine general election, Cristina Fernández de Kirchner
became the first female to be elected President of Argentina, winning
with a 22 percent lead over her nearest rival, one of the widest
margins obtained by a candidate since the collapse of the National
Reorganization Process in 1983.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cristina_Fern%C3%A1ndez_de_Kirchner>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
gregarious (adj):
1. Describing one who enjoys being in crowds and socializing.
2. (zoology) Of animals that travel in herds or packs
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/gregarious>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Walk a single path, becoming neither cocky with victory nor broken with
defeat, without forgetting caution when all is quiet or becoming
frightened when danger threatens.
--Jigoro Kano
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Jigoro_Kano>
Fort Ticonderoga is a large 18th-century fort built at a narrows near
the south end of Lake Champlain in upstate New York. The site controls
a river portage alongside the mouth of the rapids-infested La Chute
River in the 3.5 miles (6 kilometers) between Lake Champlain and Lake
George that was strategically important during the 18th-century
colonial conflicts between Great Britain and France, and again to a
lesser extent during the American Revolutionary War. At stake were
commonly used trade routes between the English-controlled Hudson River
Valley and the French-controlled Saint Lawrence River Valley. The fort
attained a reputation for impregnability during the 1758 Battle of
Carillon when 4,000 French defenders repelled an attack by 16,000
British troops near the fort. In 1759, the British returned and drove a
token French garrison from the fort merely by occupying high ground
that threatened the fort. During the American Revolutionary War, the
Green Mountain Boys and other state militia under the command of Ethan
Allen and Benedict Arnold captured it in a surprise attack. The
Americans held it until June 1777, when British forces under General
John Burgoyne again occupied high ground above the fort and threatened
the Continental Army troops, leading them to withdraw. The British
abandoned the fort following the failure of the Saratoga campaign, and
it ceased to be of military value after 1781. A foundation now operates
the fort as a tourist attraction, museum, and research center.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Ticonderoga>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1275:
The earliest recorded usage of the name "Amsterdam" was made on a
certificate by Count Floris V of Holland that granted the inhabitants,
who had built a bridge with a dam across the Amstel, an exemption from
paying the bridge's tolls.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amsterdam>
1553:
Condemned as a heretic for preaching nontrinitarianism and anti-infant
baptism, Michael Servetus was burned at the stake outside Geneva.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Servetus>
1644:
English Civil War: The combined armies of Parliament inflicted a
tactical defeat on the Royalists, but failed to gain any strategic
advantage in the Second Battle of Newbury.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Battle_of_Newbury>
1904:
The first underground segment of the New York City Subway, today one of
the most extensive public transportation systems in the world, opened,
connecting New York City Hall with Harlem.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_IRT_subway_before_1918>
1992:
U.S. Navy Petty Officer Allen R. Schindler, Jr. was killed in Sasebo,
Nagasaki, Japan, a victim of a hate crime for being gay, sparking a
national debate that led to the establishment of the U.S. armed forces'
"Don't ask, don't tell" policy.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allen_R._Schindler%2C_Jr.>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
ugly duckling (n):
A young person who is unattractive, but who is expected to become
beautiful as they mature
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/ugly_duckling>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Books won't stay banned. They won't burn. Ideas won't go to jail. In
the long run of history, the censor and the inquisitor have always
lost. The only sure weapon against bad ideas is better ideas. The
source of better ideas is wisdom. The surest path to wisdom is a
liberal education.
--Alfred Whitney Griswold
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Alfred_Whitney_Griswold>
AC/DC are an Australian rock band formed in Sydney in 1973 by
Scottish-born brothers Malcolm and Angus Young. Although the band are
commonly classified as hard rock and are considered pioneers of heavy
metal, they have always classified their music as "rock and roll".
AC/DC underwent several line-up changes before releasing their first
album, High Voltage, in 1975. Membership remained stable until bassist
Mark Evans was replaced by Cliff Williams in 1977. The band recorded
their highly successful album Highway to Hell in 1979. Lead singer and
co-songwriter Bon Scott died on 19 February 1980, after a night of
heavy alcohol consumption. The group briefly considered disbanding, but
soon ex-Geordie singer Brian Johnson was selected to replace Scott.
Later that year, the band released their best-selling album, Back in
Black. The band's next album, For Those About to Rock We Salute You,
was their first album to reach number one in the United States. As of
2008, AC/DC has sold more than 200 million albums worldwide, including
71 million albums in the United States. Back in Black has sold an
estimated 45 million units worldwide, 22 million in the US alone, where
it is the fifth-highest-selling album. AC/DC ranked fourth on VH1's
list of the "100 Greatest Artists of Hard Rock" and was named the
seventh "Greatest Heavy Metal Band of All Time" by MTV. In 2004, the
band was ranked number 72 in the Rolling Stone list of the "100
Greatest Artists of All Time".
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AC/DC>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1825:
The Erie Canal, connecting the Great Lakes with the Hudson River and
hence the Atlantic Ocean, was opened.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erie_Canal>
1859:
The passenger ship Royal Charter, en route from Australia to England,
was wrecked on the east coast of Anglesey, Wales, killing at least 459
people.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Charter_%28ship%29>
1937:
Second Sino-Japanese War: Xie Jinyuan and National Revolutionary Army
soldiers began the Defense of Sihang Warehouse against waves of
Japanese attackers during the Battle of Shanghai.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Defense_of_Sihang_Warehouse>
1944:
World War II: In one of the largest naval battles in modern history,
Allied forces defeated the Imperial Japanese Navy at the Battle of
Leyte Gulf in the seas surrounding the Philippine island of Leyte.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Leyte_Gulf>
2001:
U.S. President George W. Bush signed the USA PATRIOT Act into law,
significantly expanding the authority of U.S. law enforcement agencies
in fighting terrorism in the United States and elsewhere.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USA_PATRIOT_Act>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
tomnoddy (n):
1. The puffin.
2. A fool or dunce
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/tomnoddy>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
After bread, education is the first need of the people.
--Georges Danton
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Georges_Danton>
The Helgoland class battleship was the second class of German
dreadnought battleships. The class comprised four ships: Helgoland, the
lead ship; Oldenburg; Ostfriesland; and Thüringen. The design was a
significant improvement over the previous Nassau-class ships; they had
a larger main batttery—30.5 cm (12.0 in) main guns instead of the 28 cm
(11 in) weapons mounted on the earlier vessels—and an improved
propulsion system. The Helgolands were easily distinguished from the
preceding Nassaus by the three funnels that were closely arranged,
compared to the two larger funnels of the previous class. The ships
retained the unusual hexagonal main battery layout of the Nassau-class.
The ships served as a unit in the I Division, I Battle Squadron
alongside the Nassau-class ships in the II Division of the I Battle
Squadron. They saw combat during World War I, including the Battle of
Jutland in the North Sea and the Battle of the Gulf of Riga in the
Baltic. All four survived the war, but were not taken as part of the
German fleet that was interned at Scapa Flow. When the German ships at
Scapa Flow were scuttled, the four Helgolands were ceded as war
reparations to the victorious Allied powers in the sunken ships' stead.
Ostfreisland was taken by the US Navy and expended as a target during
Billy Mitchell's air power demonstration in July 1921. Helgoland and
Oldenburg were allotted to Britain and Japan respectively, and broken
up in 1921. Thüringen was delivered to France in 1920, and was used as
a target ship for the French navy. The ship was eventually broken up
between 1923 and 1933.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helgoland_class_battleship>
_______________________________
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>
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>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
abigeat (n):
(archaic) Theft of cattle in herds
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/abigeat>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
I would prefer to remain in prison for another 20 years than bargain my
beliefs for freedom.
--Samir Geagea
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Samir_Geagea>
Jackie Robinson (1919–1972) was the first African-American Major League
Baseball (MLB) player of the modern era. Robinson broke the baseball
color line when he debuted with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947. As the
first black man to openly play in the major leagues since the 1880s, he
was instrumental in bringing an end to racial segregation in
professional baseball, which had relegated African-Americans to the
Negro leagues for six decades. The example of his character and
unquestionable talent challenged the traditional basis of segregation,
which then marked many other aspects of American life, and contributed
significantly to the Civil Rights Movement. Apart from his cultural
impact, Robinson had an exceptional baseball career. Over ten seasons,
he played in six World Series and contributed to the Dodgers' 1955
World Championship. He was selected for six consecutive All-Star Games
from 1949 to 1954, was the recipient of the inaugural MLB Rookie of the
Year Award in 1947, and won the National League Most Valuable Player
Award in 1949 – the first black player so honored. Robinson was
inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1962. In 1997, Major League
Baseball retired his uniform number, 42, across all major league teams.
In recognition of his achievements on and off the field, Robinson was
posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the
Congressional Gold Medal.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jackie_Robinson>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1260:
According to both modern and medieval Muslim historians, Qutuz, Mamluk
sultan of Egypt, was assassinated by a fellow Mamluk leader, Baibars,
who then seized power for himself.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qutuz>
1648:
The second treaty of the Peace of Westphalia, the Treaty of Münster,
was signed, ending both the Thirty Years' War and the Dutch Revolt, and
officially recognizing the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands and
Swiss Confederation as independent states.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peace_of_Westphalia>
1857:
Sheffield F.C., one of the world's oldest documented non-university
football clubs, was founded.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sheffield_F.C.>
1912:
First Balkan War: Serbian forces defeated the Ottoman army at the
Battle of Kumanovo in Vardar Macedonia.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Kumanovo>
1931:
The George Washington Bridge, today considered one of the world's
busiest bridges in terms of vehicle traffic, connecting New York City
to Fort Lee, New Jersey, was dedicated.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Washington_Bridge>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
raspy (adj):
1. (of sound) Rough, raw, especially used to describe vocal quality.
2. Irritable
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/raspy>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
We present a dramatically different approach to time management. This
is a principle-centered approach. It transcends the traditional
prescriptions of faster, harder, smarter, and more. Rather than
offering you another clock, this approach provides you with a compass —
because more important than how fast you're going, is where you're
headed.
--Stephen Covey
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Stephen_Covey>
The scattered disc is a distant region of the Solar System that is
sparsely populated by icy minor planets, a subset of the broader family
of trans-Neptunian objects. The scattered disc objects have orbital
eccentricities ranging as high as 0.8, inclinations as high as 40° and
perihelia greater than 30 astronomical units. These extreme orbits are
believed to be the result of gravitational "scattering" by the gas
giants,
and the objects continue to be subject to perturbation by the planet
Neptune. While the nearest distance to the Sun approached by scattered
objects is about 30–35 AU, their orbits can extend well beyond 100 AU.
This makes scattered objects "among the most distant and cold objects
in the Solar System". The innermost portion of the scattered disc
overlaps with a torus-shaped region of orbiting objects known as the
Kuiper belt, but its outer limits reach much farther away from the Sun
and farther above and below the ecliptic than the belt proper. Due to
its unstable nature, astronomers now consider the scattered disc to be
the place of origin for most periodic comets observed in the Solar
System, with the centaurs, a population of icy bodies between Jupiter
and Neptune, being the intermediate stage in an object's migration from
the disc to the inner Solar System. Eventually, perturbations from the
giant planets send such objects towards the Sun, transforming them into
periodic comets. Many Oort cloud objects are also believed to have
originated in the scattered disc.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scattered_disc>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
425:
Valentinian III became Emperor of the Western Roman Empire at the age
of six.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valentinian_III>
1642:
The Battle of Edgehill, the first pitched battle of the First English
Civil War between the Royalists and the Parliamentarians, was fought to
an inconclusive result near Edge Hill and Kineton in southern
Warwickshire.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Edgehill>
1739:
Great Britain declared war on Spain, starting the War of Jenkins' Ear.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_of_Jenkins%27_Ear>
1955:
Prime Minister Ngo Dinh Diem defeated Emperor Bao Dai in a fraudulent
referendum supervised by his brother Ngo Dinh Nhu on the future of the
monarchy in South Vietnam.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1955_State_of_Vietnam_referendum>
1956:
The Hungarian Revolution began as a peaceful student demonstration
which attracted thousands as it marched through central Budapest to the
Parliament building.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hungarian_Revolution_of_1956>
1983:
Lebanese Civil War: Suicide bombers destroyed two barracks in Beirut,
Lebanon, killing 241 U.S. servicemen and 58 French paratroopers of the
international peacekeeping force.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1983_Beirut_barracks_bombing>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
haiku (n):
1. A Japanese poem of a specific form, consisting of three lines, the
first and last consisting of five morae, and the second consisting of
seven morae, usually with an emphasis on the season or a naturalistic
theme.
2. A three-line poem in any language, with five syllables in the first
and last lines and seven syllables in the second, usually with an
emphasis on the season or a naturalistic theme
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/haiku>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
We ought to hate very rarely, as it is too fatiguing; remain
indifferent to a great deal, forgive often and never forget.
--Sarah Bernhardt
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Sarah_Bernhardt>
Bert Trautmann (born 1923) is a German football goalkeeper who played
for Manchester City from 1949 to 1964. Brought up during times of
inter-war strife in Germany, Trautmann joined the Luftwaffe early in
the Second World War, serving as a paratrooper. He fought at the
Eastern Front for three years, earning five medals including an Iron
Cross. Later in the war he was transferred to the Western Front, where
he was captured by the British as the war drew to a close. One of only
90 of his original 1,000-man regiment to survive the war, he was
transferred to a prisoner-of-war camp in Ashton-in-Makerfield,
Lancashire. Following his release in 1948 he settled in Lancashire,
combining farm work with playing as goalkeeper for local football team
St Helens Town. In October 1949 he signed for Manchester City, a club
playing in the highest level of football in the country, the First
Division. The club's decision to sign a former Axis paratrooper sparked
protests, with 20,000 people attending a demonstration. Over time he
gained acceptance through his performances in the City goal, playing
all but five of the club's next 250 matches. Trautmann entered football
folklore with his performance in the 1956 FA Cup Final. Despite
suffering a serious injury after diving at the feet of Birmingham
City's Peter Murphy, he continued to play, making crucial saves to
preserve his team's 3–1 lead. His neck was noticeably crooked as he
collected his winner's medal; three days later an X-ray revealed it to
be broken.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bert_Trautmann>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1836:
Sam Houston became the first president of the Republic of Texas.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sam_Houston>
1844:
Millerites, including future members of the Seventh-day Adventist
Church, were greatly disappointed that Jesus did not return as
predicted by American preacher William Miller .
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Disappointment>
1934:
Pretty Boy Floyd, an American bank robber and alleged killer who was
later romanticized by the media, was gunned down by Federal Bureau of
Investigation agents near East Liverpool, Ohio.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pretty_Boy_Floyd>
1964:
After the Nobel Committee announced that he had won the Nobel Prize in
Literature, French philosopher and writer Jean-Paul Sartre became the
first Nobel Laureate to voluntarily decline the prize, saying that he
did not wish to be "transformed" by such an award.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean-Paul_Sartre>
2006:
An expansion project to double the Panama Canal's capacity was approved
by Panamanian voters in a national referendum by a wide margin.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panama_Canal_expansion_project>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
palatable (adj):
1. Pleasing to the taste, tasty.
2. Tolerable, acceptable
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/palatable>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
I often observed to my brother, You see now how little nature requires
to be satisfied. Felicity, the companion of content, is rather found in
our own breasts than in the enjoyment of external things; And I firmly
believe it requires but a little philosophy to make a man happy in
whatsoever state he is. This consists in a full resignation to the will
of Providence; and a resigned soul finds pleasure in a path strewed
with briars and thorns.
--Daniel Boone
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Daniel_Boone>