The Han Dynasty was the second imperial dynasty of China, preceded by
the Qin Dynasty and succeeded by the Three Kingdoms. Spanning over four
centuries, the period of the Han Dynasty is considered a golden age in
Chinese history. The Han Empire was divided into areas directly
controlled by the central government, known as commanderies, and a
number of semi-autonomous kingdoms. The Han Dynasty was an age of
economic prosperity, and saw a significant growth of the money economy
first established during the Zhou Dynasty. The coinage issued by the
central government mint in 119 BCE remained the standard coinage of
China until the Tang Dynasty. The emperor was at the pinnacle of Han
society. He presided over the Han government, but shared power with
both the nobility and appointed ministers who came largely from the
scholarly gentry class. From the reign of Emperor Wu onward, the
Chinese court officially sponsored Confucianism in education and court
politics. Science and technology during Han saw significant advances,
including papermaking, the rudder, the use of negative numbers in
mathematics, the raised-relief map, the hydraulic-powered armillary
sphere for astronomy, and a seismometer employing an inverted pendulum.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Han_Dynasty>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
284:
Diocletian became Roman Emperor, eventually establishing reforms that
brought an end to the Crisis of the Third Century.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diocletian>
1695:
Zumbi, the last of the leaders of Quilombo dos Palmares in early
Brazil, was executed.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zumbi>
1820:
The American whaleship Essex sank 2,000 nautical miles (3,700 km) west
of the western coast of South America after it was attacked by a sperm
whale.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Essex_%28whaleship%29>
1902:
While discussing how to promote the newspaper L'Auto during a lunch
meeting in Paris, sports journalists Henri Desgrange and Géo Lefèvre
came up with the idea of holding a cycling race that later became known
as the Tour de France.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tour_de_France>
1979:
A group of armed insurgents attacked and took over the Masjid al-Haram
in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, declaring that one of their leaders, Muhammad
bin abd Allah al-Qahtani, was the Mahdi, the prophesied redeemer of
Islam.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Mosque_Seizure>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
Jezebel (n):
An evil, scheming, or shameless woman; an immoral woman
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Jezebel>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
A revolution is coming — a revolution which will be peaceful if we are
wise enough; compassionate if we care enough; successful if we are
fortunate enough — But a revolution which is coming whether we will it
or not. We can affect its character; we cannot alter its inevitability.
--Robert F. Kennedy
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Robert_F._Kennedy>
Death Valley National Park is a mostly arid United States National Park
located east of the Sierra Nevada mountain range in southern Inyo
County and northern San Bernardino County in California, with a small
extension into southwestern Nye County and extreme southern Esmeralda
County in Nevada. The park covers 5,262 square miles (13,630 km2),
encompassing Saline Valley, a large part of Panamint Valley, almost all
of Death Valley, and parts of several mountain ranges. Death Valley
National Monument was proclaimed in 1933, placing the area under
federal protection. In 1994, the monument was redesignated a national
park, as well as being substantially expanded to include Saline and
Eureka Valleys. It is the hottest and driest of the national parks in
the United States. It also features the second-lowest point in the
Western Hemisphere and the lowest point in North America at Badwater,
which is 282 feet (86 m) below sea level. It is home to many species of
plants and animals that have adapted to this harsh desert environment.
Death Valley National Park is visited annually by more than 770,000
visitors who come to enjoy its diverse geologic features, desert
wildlife, historic sites, scenery, clear night skies and the solitude
of the extreme desert environment.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_Valley_National_Park>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1493:
Christopher Columbus became the first European to land on Puerto Rico,
naming it San Juan Bautista after John the Baptist.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Puerto_Rico>
1863:
American Civil War: U.S. President Abraham Lincoln delivered the
Gettysburg Address at the dedication of the Soldiers' National Cemetery
in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gettysburg_Address>
1942:
World War II: Soviet troops under General Georgy Zhukov launched
Operation Uranus at the Battle of Stalingrad, with the goal of
encircling Axis forces, turning the tide of the battle in the Soviet
Union's favor.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Uranus>
1969:
Playing for Santos against Vasco da Gama at Estádio do Maracanã in Rio
de Janeiro, Brazilian football player Pelé scored his 1000th goal on a
penalty kick.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pel%C3%A9>
1999:
Shenzhou 1 , China's first unmanned test flight of the Shenzhou
spacecraft, was launched from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in
Alxa League, Inner Mongolia.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shenzhou_1>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
frenetic (adj):
Fast, frantic, harried, or frenzied
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/frenetic>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Next in importance to freedom and justice is popular education, without
which neither freedom nor justice can be permanently maintained.
--James A. Garfield
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/James_A._Garfield>
Wind is the flow of air or other gases that compose an atmosphere. On
Earth, wind consists of the bulk movement of air. In outer space, solar
wind is the movement of gases or charged particles from the sun through
space. While wind is often a standalone weather phenomenon, it can also
occur as part of a storm system, most notably in a cyclone. Shorter
duration winds, such as wind gusts, exceed the minimum value over the
observed time frame and can cause substantial damage to power lines and
suspension bridges. Winds with an intermediate duration, which sharply
increase and last for a minute are termed squalls. Long-duration wind
speeds have various names associated with their average strength, such
as breeze, gale, storm, hurricane, and typhoon. Wind occurs on a range
of scales, from local breezes generated by heating of land surfaces and
lasting tens of minutes, to global winds resulting from the difference
in absorption of solar energy between the climate zones on Earth. The
two major driving factors of large scale atmospheric circulation are
the differential heating between the equator and the poles, which
causes the jet stream and the associated climatological mid-latitude
westerlies, polar easterlies, and the trade winds, and the rotation of
the planet. In human civilization, wind has inspired mythology,
influenced the events of history, expanded the range of transport and
warfare, and provided a power source for mechanical work, electricity,
and recreation.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wind>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1302:
Pope Boniface VIII issued the Papal bull Unam sanctam, proclaiming
"there is one holy Catholic and Apostolic Church, outside of which
there is neither salvation nor remission of sins".
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unam_sanctam>
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>
1978:
Jim Jones led more than 900 members of the Peoples Temple to mass
murder/suicide in Jonestown, Guyana, hours after some of its members
assassinated U.S. Congressman Leo Ryan.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jonestown>
1991:
Croatian War of Independence: Yugoslav People's Army forces captured
the Croatian city of Vukovar, ending an 87-day siege.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Vukovar>
1999:
Texas A&M University's Aggie Bonfire collapsed, killing 12 people and
injuring 27 others, and causing the university to officially declare a
hiatus on the 90-year-old annual event.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aggie_Bonfire>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
buttress (v):
1. To support something physically with, or as if with, a prop or
buttress.
2. To support something or someone by supplying evidence; to
corroborate or substantiate
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/buttress>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
War is what happens when language fails.
--Margaret Atwood
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Margaret_Atwood>
A fungus is any member of a large group of eukaryotic organisms that
includes microorganisms such as yeasts and molds, as well as the more
familiar mushrooms. They are classified as a kingdom that is separate
from plants, animals and bacteria. One major difference is that fungal
cells have cell walls that contain chitin, unlike the cell walls of
plants, which contain cellulose. The discipline of biology devoted to
the study of fungi is known as mycology, which is often regarded as a
branch of botany, even though genetic studies have shown that fungi are
more closely related to animals than to plants. Fungi perform an
essential role in the decomposition of organic matter and have
fundamental roles in nutrient cycling and exchange. They have long been
used as a direct source of food, such as mushrooms and truffles, as a
leavening agent for bread, and in fermentation of various food
products, such as wine, beer, and soy sauce. Since the 1940s, fungi
have been used for the production of antibiotics, and, more recently,
various enzymes produced by fungi are used industrially and in
detergents.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fungus>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1558:
Elizabeth I became Queen of England and Ireland, marking the beginning
of the Elizabethan era.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elizabeth_I_of_England>
1796:
French Revolutionary Wars: French forces defeated the Austrians at the
Battle of the Bridge of Arcole in a maneuver to cut the latter's line
of retreat.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_the_Bridge_of_Arcole>
1855:
Explorer David Livingstone became the first European to see Victoria
Falls , one of the largest waterfalls in the world, on what is now the
Zambia–Zimbabwe border.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victoria_Falls>
1869:
The Suez Canal, which allows water transportation between Europe and
Asia by linking the Mediterranean Sea with the Red Sea, opened to
shipping.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suez_Canal>
1950:
Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama, was enthroned as Tibet's head of
state at the age of fifteen.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/14th_Dalai_Lama>
1997:
Sixty-two people were killed by terrorists outside the Deir el-Bahri,
one of Egypt's top tourist attractions, in Luxor.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luxor_massacre>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
idiomatic (adj):
1. Pertaining or conforming to the mode of expression characteristic of
a language.
2. Resembling or characteristic of an idiom
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/idiomatic>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
When you can have anything you want by uttering a few words, the goal
matters not, only the journey to it.
--Christopher Paolini
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Christopher_Paolini>
Trial by Jury is a comic opera in one act, with music by Arthur
Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert. It was first produced on 25
March 1875, at London's Royalty Theatre, where it initially ran for
131 performances and was considered a hit, receiving critical praise
and outrunning its popular companion piece, Jacques Offenbach's La
Périchole. The story concerns a "breach of promise of marriage" lawsuit
in which the judge and legal system are the objects of lighthearted
satire. Gilbert based the libretto of Trial by Jury on an operetta
parody that he had written in 1868. The opera premiered more than three
years after Gilbert and Sullivan's only previous collaboration,
Thespis. As with most Gilbert and Sullivan operas, the plot of Trial by
Jury is ludicrous, but the characters behave as if the events were
perfectly reasonable. This narrative technique blunts some of the
pointed barbs aimed at hypocrisy, especially of those in authority, and
the sometimes base motives of supposedly respectable people and
institutions. Critics and audiences praised how well Sullivan's witty
and good-humoured music complemented Gilbert's satire. The success of
Trial by Jury launched the famous series of 13 collaborative works
between Gilbert and Sullivan that came to be known as the Savoy Operas.
After its original production in 1875, Trial by Jury toured widely in
Britain and elsewhere and was frequently revived and recorded.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trial_by_Jury>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1384:
Jadwiga was officially crowned as "King of Poland" instead of "Queen"
to reflect that fact that she was a sovereign in her own right and not
merely a royal consort.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jadwiga_of_Poland>
1532:
Spanish conquest of the Inca Empire: Spanish Conquistador Francisco
Pizarro orchestrated a surprise attack in Cajamarca, Peru, capturing
Sapa Inca Atahualpa.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Cajamarca>
1885:
After a five-day trial following the North-West Rebellion, Louis Riel,
Canadian rebel leader of the Métis and "Father of Manitoba", was
executed by hanging for high treason.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_Riel>
1907:
Two years after the failed attempt by the Five Civilized Tribes in the
Indian Territory to achieve U.S. statehood, they joined with the
Oklahoma Territory to become the 46th U.S. state to enter the union.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oklahoma>
1938:
Swiss chemist Albert Hofmann first synthesized the psychedelic drug LSD
at the Sandoz Laboratories in Basel, Switzerland.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albert_Hofmann>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
instill (v):
1. To cause a quality to become part of someone's nature.
2. To pour in, drop by drop
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/instill>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
We shall all live. We pray for life, children, a good harvest and
happiness. You will have what is good for you and I will have what is
good for me. Let the kite perch and let the egret perch too. If one
says no to the other, let his wing break.
--Chinua Achebe
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Chinua_Achebe>
Zelda Fitzgerald (1900–1948) was a novelist and the wife of writer F.
Scott Fitzgerald. She was an icon of the 1920s—dubbed by her husband
"the first American Flapper". After the success of his first novel This
Side of Paradise, the Fitzgeralds became celebrities. The newspapers of
New York saw them as embodiments of the Jazz Age and the Roaring
Twenties: young, rich, beautiful, and energetic. Following a whirlwind
courtship ensued, they married in 1920, and spent the early part of the
decade as literary celebrities in New York. Later in the 1920s, they
moved to Europe, recast as famous expatriates of the Lost Generation.
While Scott received acclaim for The Great Gatsby and his short
stories, their marriage was a tangle of jealousy, resentment and
acrimony. The strain of her tempestuous marriage, Scott's increasing
alcoholism, and her growing instability presaged Zelda's admittance to
a sanatorium in 1930. While in a Maryland clinic, she wrote a
semi-autobiographical novel, Save Me the Waltz, which was published in
1932. Scott was furious that she had used material from their life
together, though he had done the same, such as in Tender Is the Night,
published in 1934; the two novels provide contrasting portrayals of the
couple's failing marriage. Scott died in Hollywood in 1940, having last
seen Zelda a year and a half earlier. She spent her remaining years
working on a second novel, which she never completed, and she painted
extensively. In 1948, the hospital at which she had been a patient
caught fire, causing her death.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zelda_Fitzgerald>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1864:
American Civil War: Union Army General William Tecumseh Sherman began
his "March to the Sea", inflicting significant damage to property and
infrastructure on his way from Atlanta to Savannah, Georgia.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Tecumseh_Sherman>
1889:
A military coup led by Field Marshal Deodoro da Fonseca overthrew
Emperor Pedro II and declared Brazil a republic.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deodoro_da_Fonseca>
1935:
The United States formalizes the establishment of the self-governing
Philippine Commonwealth, with Manuel L. Quezon as its president.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philippine_Commonwealth>
1971:
Intel released the 4004 4-bit central processing unit , the world's
first commercially available microprocessor, capable of executing
approximately 60,000 instructions per second.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intel_4004>
1985:
Northern Ireland peace process: British Prime Minister Margaret
Thatcher, and the Irish Taoiseach Garret FitzGerald signed the
Anglo-Irish Agreement, giving the Irish Government an advisory role in
Northern Ireland's government.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anglo-Irish_Agreement>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
cerebral (adj):
1. (anatomy) Of, or relating to the brain, especially the cerebral
cortex of the brain.
2. Intellectual rather than emotional
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/cerebral>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Who in the same given time can produce more than others has vigor; who
can produce more and better, has talents; who can produce what none
else can, has genius.
--Johann Kaspar Lavater
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Johann_Kaspar_Lavater>
William III of England (1650–1702) was the Prince of Orange,
Stadtholder of the main provinces of the Dutch Republic, and King of
England, Scotland, and Ireland. Born a member of the House of
Orange-Nassau, William III won the English, Scottish and Irish crowns
following the Glorious Revolution, in which his uncle and
father-in-law, James II, was deposed. In England, Scotland and Ireland,
William ruled jointly with his wife, Mary II, until her death in 1694.
A Protestant, William participated in several wars against the powerful
Catholic King Louis XIV of France in coalition with Protestant and
Catholic powers in Europe. Many Protestants heralded him as a champion
of their faith. Largely due to that reputation, William was able to
take the British crowns where many were fearful of a revival of
Catholicism under James. William's victory over James II at the Battle
of the Boyne in 1690 is commemorated by the Orange Institution in
Northern Ireland to this day. His reign marked the beginning of the
transition from the personal rule of the Stuarts to the more
Parliament-centered rule of the House of Hanover.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_III_of_England>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1817:
Bolívar's War: Colombian seamstress Policarpa Salavarrieta was
executed in Bogotá for working as a spy for the revolutionary forces in
New Granada.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Policarpa_Salavarrieta>
1889:
New York World reporter Nellie Bly embarked on her successful attempt
to travel Around the World in Eighty Days, eventually completing her
journey in only 72 days.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nellie_Bly>
1940:
World War II: Coventry Cathedral and much of the city centre of
Coventry, England were destroyed by the German Luftwaffe during the
Coventry Blitz.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coventry_Blitz>
1990:
Germany and Poland signed the German-Polish Border Treaty, confirming
their border at the Oder-Neisse line, which was originally defined by
the Potsdam Agreement in 1945.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oder-Neisse_line>
2003:
Astronomers Michael E. Brown, Chad Trujillo, and David L. Rabinowitz
discovered the trans-Neptunian object 90377 Sedna.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/90377_Sedna>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
traipse (v):
To walk about or over (a place)
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/traipse>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
To be in good moral condition requires at least as much training as to
be in good physical condition.
--Jawaharlal Nehru
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Jawaharlal_Nehru>
"I Don't Remember" is a song by Australian alternative rock band
Powderfinger, from the album Dream Days at the Hotel Existence. It made
its radio debut on 9 July 2007 on Australian radio stations, and was
subsequently released as a single and digital download on 4 August 2007
in Australia, 3 September 2007 in New Zealand, and 13 August 2007 in
the United States. The song was written by Powderfinger lead singer
Bernard Fanning, and influenced by bassist John Collins. The riff was
then developed by guitarist Ian Haug. The song is about reconciling
difficulties and arguments, rather than shifting the blame. "I Don't
Remember" was lauded by some reviewers, who appreciated its energy,
while other reviewers were more critical, dubbing it an "advertisement
song". The music video also received critical acclaim, especially for
the parodies it contained. Despite the reviews, the single charted
poorly, reaching number 42 on the ARIA Singles Chart.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_Don%27t_Remember>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1002:
St. Brice's Day massacre: King Ethelred II ordered the massacre of all
Danes in England.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethelred_the_Unready>
1642:
First English Civil War: The Royalist army engaged the much larger
Parliamentarian army at the Battle of Turnham Green near Turnham Green,
Middlesex.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Turnham_Green>
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:
South Korean boxer Duk Koo Kim suffered fatal brain injuries during a
match with American Ray Mancini near Las Vegas' Caesars Palace, leading
to significant rule changes in the sport.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duk_Koo_Kim>
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>
2007:
An explosion hit the Batasang Pambansa complex in Quezon City, the
Philippines, killing Congressman Wahab Akbar and at least four others.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Batasang_Pambansa_bombing>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
maxim (n):
A precept; a succinct statement or observation of a fundamental
principle, general truth, or rule of conduct
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/maxim>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Crime is contagious. If the government becomes a lawbreaker, it breeds
contempt for law; it invites every man to become a law unto himself; it
invites anarchy.
--Louis Brandeis
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Louis_Brandeis>
Grim Fandango is a personal computer game in the graphic adventure
genre released by LucasArts in 1998 and primarily written by Tim
Schafer. It is the first adventure game by LucasArts to use 3D computer
graphics overlaid on pre-rendered 2D backgrounds. As with other
LucasArts adventure games, the player must converse with other
characters and examine, collect, and use objects correctly to solve
puzzles in order to progress. Grim Fandango's world combines elements
of Aztec beliefs of afterlife with style aspects of film noir,
including The Maltese Falcon, On the Waterfront and Casablanca, to
create the Land of the Dead, which recently departed souls, represented
in the game as calaca-like figures, must travel through before they
reach their final destination, the Ninth Underworld. The story follows
travel agent Manuel "Manny" Calavera as he attempts to save Mercedes
"Meche" Colomar, a newly arrived but virtuous soul, during her long
journey. The game received positive reviews, praising its artistic
design and overall game direction in particular. Grim Fandango was
selected for several gaming awards at the time of release, and is often
listed in publishers' lists of top games of all time. However, the game
has been considered a commercial failure, which partially led LucasArts
to terminate their adventure game development, contributing to the
decline of the adventure game genre.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grim_Fandango>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1028:
Future Byzantine empress Zoe married Romanos III Argyros according to
the wishes of the dying Constantine VIII.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zoe_%28empress%29>
1893:
Mortimer Durand, Foreign Secretary of British India, and Abdur Rahman
Khan, Amir of Afghanistan, signed the Durand Line Agreement,
establishing what is now the international border between Afghanistan
and modern-day Pakistan.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Durand_Line>
1927:
Leon Trotsky was expelled from the Communist Party, leaving Joseph
Stalin in undisputed control of the Soviet Union.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leon_Trotsky>
1942:
World War II: The Naval Battle of Guadalcanal , the decisive engagement
in a series of naval battles between Allied and Japanese forces during
the months-long Guadalcanal campaign in the Solomon Islands, began.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naval_Battle_of_Guadalcanal>
1991:
In Dili, East Timor, Indonesian forces opened fire on student
demonstrators protesting the Indonesian occupation of East Timor,
killing at least 250 people.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santa_Cruz_massacre>
2006:
Although the Georgian government declared it illegal, South Ossetia
held a referendum on independence, with about 99 percent of voters
supporting to preserve the region's status as a de facto independent
state.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Ossetian_independence_referendum%2C_2006>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
enchorial (adj):
1. Indigenous, native.
2. Of, relating to, or written in the vulgar form of ancient Egyptian
hieratic writing
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/enchorial>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
In entering upon the great work before us, we anticipate no small
amount of misconception, misrepresentation, and ridicule; but we shall
use every instrumentality within our power to effect our object.
--Elizabeth Cady Stanton
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Elizabeth_Cady_Stanton>
The Battle of Arras was a British offensive during World War I. From 9
April to 16 May, 1917, British, Canadian, and Australian troops
attacked German trenches near the French city of Arras on the Western
Front. The Arras offensive was conceived as part of a plan to break
through the German defences into the open ground beyond and engage the
numerically inferior German army in a war of movement. It was planned
in conjunction with the French High Command, who were simultaneously
embarking on a massive attack (the Nivelle Offensive) about eighty
kilometres to the south. The stated aim of this combined operation was
to end the war in forty-eight hours. At Arras, the British Empire's
immediate objectives were more modest: (1) to draw German troops away
from the ground chosen for the French attack and (2) to take the
German-held high ground that dominated the plain of Douai. After
considerable bombardment, Canadian troops advancing in the north were
able to capture the strategically significant Vimy Ridge. Only in the
south, where British and Australian forces were frustrated by the
elastic defence, were the attackers held to minimal gains. Although
these battles were generally successful in achieving limited aims, many
of them resulted in relatively large numbers of casualties. When the
battle officially ended on 16 May, British Empire troops had made
significant advances, but had been unable to achieve a major
breakthrough at any point.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Arras_%281917%29>
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Today's selected anniversaries:
1675:
German polymath Gottfried Leibniz employed integral calculus for the
first time to find the area under a function y = ƒ(x).
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gottfried_Leibniz>
1889:
Washington, named in honor of the first U.S. president, was admitted to
the United States as the 42nd state.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Washington>
1918:
Germany and the Allies signed an armistice treaty in a railway carriage
in France's Compiègne Forest, ending World War I on the Western Front.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armistice_with_Germany_%28Compi%C3%A8gne%29>
1960:
A coup attempt by the Army of the Republic of Vietnam against President
Ngo Dinh Diem was crushed after Diem falsely promised reform, allowing
loyalists to rescue him.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1960_South_Vietnamese_coup_attempt>
1965:
Ian Smith, Premier of the British Crown Colony of Southern Rhodesia,
issued the Unilateral Declaration of Independence, a move that the
British government and the United Nations condemned as illegal.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unilateral_Declaration_of_Independence_%28Rhod…>
2004:
Mahmoud Abbas was elected Chairman of the Palestine Liberation
Organization after Yasser Arafat died from an unknown illness.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yasser_Arafat>
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Wiktionary's word of the day:
lunette (n):
1. A small opening in a vaulted roof of a circular or crescent shape.
2. A crescent-shaped recess or void in the space above a window or
door
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/lunette>
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Wikiquote quote of the day:
These are times in which a genius would wish to live. It is not in the
still calm of life, or in the repose of a pacific station, that great
characters are formed. The habits of a vigorous mind are formed in
contending with difficulties. Great necessities call out great virtues.
--Abigail Adams
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Abigail_Adams>