Eli Lilly (1838–1898) was a soldier, pharmaceutical chemist,
industrialist, and founder of the eponymous Eli Lilly and Company
pharmaceutical corporation. Lilly enlisted in the Union Army during the
American Civil War, he recruited a company of men to serve with him,
and was later promoted to colonel and given command of a force of
cavalry. After the war, he attempted to run a plantation in Mississippi
but failed and returned to his pharmacy profession after the death of
his wife. He opened his own business in 1876 with plans to manufacture
drugs and market them wholesale to pharmacies. His company was
successful and he soon became wealthy after making numerous advances in
medicinal drug manufacturing. Two of the early advances he pioneered
were creating gelatin capsules to hold medicine and fruit flavoring for
liquid medicines. Eli Lilly & Co. was the first pharmaceutical company
of its kind; it staffed a dedicated research department and put in
place numerous quality assurance measures. Lilly was an advocate of
federal regulation of the pharmaceutical industry and many of his
suggested reforms were enacted into law in 1906, resulting in the
creation of the Food and Drug Administration. He was also among the
pioneers of the concept of prescriptions. Using the wealth generated by
the company, his son and grandsons created the Lilly Endowment to
continue Lilly's legacy of philanthropy. The endowment remains one of
the largest charitable benefactors in the world.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eli_Lilly>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1745:
War of the Austrian Succession: French forces defeated the
Anglo-Dutch-Hanoverian "Pragmatic Army" at the Battle of Fontenoy in
the Austrian Netherlands in present day Belgium.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Fontenoy>
1792:
Merchant sea captain Robert Gray first entered the Columbia River,
becoming the first recorded European to navigate the largest river
flowing into the Pacific Ocean from North America.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gray_sails_the_Columbia_River>
1812:
In the lobby of the British House of Commons, Spencer Perceval became
the first, and to date only, British Prime Minister to be assassinated.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spencer_Perceval>
1867:
The major powers in Europe signed the Second Treaty of London to solve
the Luxembourg Crisis between France and Prussia over the political
status of Luxembourg.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty_of_London_%281867%29>
1949:
Siam was officially renamed Thailand, a name unofficially in use since
1939.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Thailand>
1960:
Israeli Mossad agents captured Adolf Eichmann, a Nazi leader and
fugitive war criminal who was sometimes referred to as "the architect
of The Holocaust", hiding in Argentina.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adolf_Eichmann>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
empyreal (adj):
1. Pertaining to the highest heaven or the empyrean; celestial;
exalted.
2. Of the sky or heavens.
3. Fiery, made of pure fire
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/empyreal>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Poets say science takes away from the beauty of the stars — mere globs
of gas atoms. Nothing is "mere". I too can see the stars on a desert
night, and feel them. But do I see less or more? The vastness of the
heavens stretches my imagination — stuck on this carousel my little eye
can catch one-million-year-old light. A vast pattern — of which I am a
part... What is the pattern or the meaning or the why? It does not do
harm to the mystery to know a little more about it.
--Richard Feynman
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Richard_Feynman>
The Million Dollar Homepage is a website conceived in 2005 by
21-year-old student Alex Tew from Wiltshire, England, to raise money
for his university education. The home page consists of a million
pixels arranged in a 1000 × 1000 pixel grid; the image-based links on
it were sold for $1 per pixel in 10 × 10 blocks. The purchasers of
these pixel blocks provided tiny images to be displayed on them, a
Uniform Resource Locator (URL) to which the images were linked, and a
slogan to be displayed when hovering a cursor over the link. The aim of
the site was to sell all of the pixels in the image, thus generating a
million dollars of income for the creator. The Wall Street Journal has
commented that the site inspired other websites that sell pixels.
Launched on 26 August 2005, the website became an Internet phenomenon.
The Alexa ranking of web traffic peaked at around 127; as of 9 May
2009, it is 40,044. On 1 January 2006, the final 1,000 pixels were put
up for auction on eBay. The auction closed on 11 January with a winning
bid of $38,100 that brought the final tally to $1,037,100 in gross
income. During the January 2006 auction, the website was subject to a
distributed denial-of-service attack and ransom demand, which left it
inaccessible to visitors for a week while its security system was
upgraded. The Federal Bureau of Investigation and Wiltshire
Constabulary investigated the attack and attempted extortion.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Million_Dollar_Homepage>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1503:
Christopher Columbus and his crew became the first Europeans to visit
the Cayman Islands, naming them Las Tortugas after the numerous sea
turtles there.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cayman_Islands>
1824:
The National Gallery in London, which today houses a collection of over
2,300 paintings dating from the mid-13th century to 1900, opened to the
public inside the former townhouse of the recently deceased art
collector John Julius Angerstein.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Gallery_%28London%29>
1857:
The Sepoy Rebellion broke out in colonial India, threatening the rule
of the British East India Company.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_Rebellion_of_1857>
1869:
The golden spike ceremony was held at Promontory Summit, Utah,
celebrating the completion of North America's First Transcontinental
Railroad between the Missouri and Sacramento Rivers.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/golden_spike>
1893:
For trade purposes under the Tariff Act of 1883, the U.S. Supreme Court
ruled in Nix v. Hedden that a tomato is a vegetable, not a fruit.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nix_v._Hedden>
1924:
J. Edgar Hoover became the first director of the U.S. Federal Bureau
of Investigation.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J._Edgar_Hoover>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
howbeit (adv):
(archaic) Be that as it may; nevertheless
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/howbeit>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
We're one, but we're not the same
We get to carry each other, carry each other... one.
--Bono
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Bono>
Pontiac's Rebellion was a war launched in 1763 by North American First
Nations who were dissatisfied with British policies in the Great Lakes
region after the British victory in the French and Indian War/Seven
Years' War (1754–1763). Warriors from numerous tribes joined the
uprising in an effort to drive British soldiers and settlers out of the
region. The war is named after the Odawa leader Pontiac, the most
prominent of many native leaders in the conflict. The war began in May
1763 when American Natives, alarmed by policies imposed by British
General Jeffrey Amherst, attacked a number of British forts and
settlements. The First Nations were unable to drive away the British,
but the uprising prompted the British government to modify the policies
that had provoked the conflict. Warfare on the North American frontier
was brutal, and the killing of prisoners, the targeting of civilians,
and other atrocities were widespread. The ruthlessness of the conflict
was a reflection of a growing racial divide between British colonists
and American Indians. The British government sought to prevent further
racial violence by issuing the Royal Proclamation of 1763, which
created a boundary between colonists and Indians.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pontiac%27s_Rebellion>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1671:
Irish-born Colonel Thomas Blood was caught trying to steal the English
Crown Jewels from the Tower of London.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Blood>
1901:
The first Parliament of Australia opened in the Royal Exhibition
Building in Melbourne, exactly 26 years (1927) before it moved to
Canberra's Provisional Parliament House, and exactly 87 years (1988)
before it moved into the over AU$1.1 billion Parliament House in
Canberra.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parliament_of_Australia>
1946:
Italian King Victor Emmanuel III abdicated, hoping to influence the
vote on a referendum to decide whether Italy should retain the monarchy
or become a republic.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victor_Emmanuel_III_of_Italy>
1950:
Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health by L. Ron Hubbard was
first published, describing his self-improvement techniques known as
Dianetics, which later became part of the wider subject of Scientology.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dianetics%3A_The_Modern_Science_of_Mental_Heal…>
2004:
Akhmad Kadyrov, the first President of the Chechen Republic, and about
30 others were killed by a bomb during a World War II memorial victory
parade in Grozny.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Akhmad_Kadyrov>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
malfeasance (n):
1. Wrongdoing.
2. (law) Sabotage that causes damage
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/malfeasance>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Those who bring sunshine into the lives of others cannot keep it from
themselves.
--J. M. Barrie
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/J._M._Barrie>
The restoration of the Everglades is an ongoing effort to remedy damage
inflicted on the environment of southern Florida during the 20th
century. As of 2009, it is the most expensive and comprehensive
environmental repair attempt in history. The degradation of the
Everglades became an issue in the United States in the early 1970s
after a proposal to construct a jetport in the Big Cypress Swamp.
Studies indicated the jetport would have destroyed the ecosystem in
South Florida and Everglades National Park. After decades of
destructive practices, both state and federal agencies are looking for
ways to balance the needs of the natural environment in South Florida
with urban and agricultural centers that have recently and rapidly
grown in the Everglades. When high levels of phosphorus and mercury
were discovered in these waterways in 1986, water quality became a
focus for water management agencies. Costly and lengthy court battles
were waged between various government entities to determine who was
responsible for monitoring and enforcing water quality standards. A
strategy called the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan was
attached to restore portions of the Everglades, Lake Okeechobee, the
Caloosahatchee River, and Florida Bay to undo the damage of the past
50 years. It would take 30 years and cost $7.8 billion to complete.
Though the plan was passed into law in 2000, it has been compromised by
politics and funding problems.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Restoration_of_the_Everglades>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1541:
The expedition led by Spanish conquistador Hernando de Soto became the
first documented Europeans to reach the Mississippi River.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hernando_de_Soto>
1794:
The Reign of Terror: Branded a traitor, French chemist and economist
Antoine Lavoisier, a former royal tax collector with the Ferme
Générale, was tried, convicted, and guillotined on the same day.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antoine_Lavoisier>
1886:
In Atlanta, Georgia, American pharmacist John Pemberton first sold his
carbonated beverage Coca-Cola as a patent medicine, claiming that it
cured a number of diseases.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coca-Cola>
1945:
Most armed forces under German control ceased active operations by
23:01 CET at the end of World War II in Europe, in accordance with the
German Instrument of Surrender signed by General Alfred Jodl on behalf
of Reichspräsident Karl Dönitz the day before.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/end_of_World_War_II_in_Europe>
1963:
Soldiers of the Catholic South Vietnamese President Ngo Dinh Diem open
fire on Buddhists who were defying a ban on the flying of the Buddhist
flag on Vesak, killing nine.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hue_Vesak_shootings>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
polyptoton (n):
A stylistic scheme in which words from the same root are used together,
or a word is repeated in a different inflection or case
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/polyptoton>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Freedom granted only when it is known beforehand that its effects will
be beneficial is not freedom.
--Friedrich Hayek
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Friedrich_Hayek>
Ursula Franklin (born 1921) is a Canadian metallurgist, research
physicist, author and educator who has taught at the University of
Toronto for more than 40 years. She is the author of The Real World of
Technology, which is based on her 1989 Massey Lectures, and The Ursula
Franklin Reader: Pacifism as a Map, a collection of her papers,
interviews, and talks. Franklin is a practising Quaker and has been
active in working on behalf of pacifist and feminist causes. Franklin
has received numerous honours and awards, including the Governor
General's Award in Commemoration of the Persons Case for promoting the
equality of girls and women in Canada and the Pearson Medal of Peace
for her work in advancing human rights. Franklin is best known for her
writings on the political and social effects of technology. For her,
technology is a comprehensive system that includes methods, procedures,
organization, "and most of all, a mindset". She distinguishes between
holistic technologies used by craft workers or artisans and
prescriptive ones associated with a division of labour in large-scale
production. Franklin argues that the dominance of prescriptive
technologies in modern society discourages critical thinking and
promotes "a culture of compliance".
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ursula_Franklin>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1272:
The first session of the Second Council of Lyon was held to discuss,
among others, the pledge by Byzantine Emperor Michael VIII Palaiologos
to end the Great Schism and reunite the Eastern church with the West.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Council_of_Lyon>
1824:
Ludwig van Beethoven's last complete symphony, the Symphony No. 9 in D
minor, which incorporates part of Friedrich Schiller's poem "Ode to
Joy" in its fourth movement, premiered at the Kärntnertortheater in
Vienna.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Symphony_No._9_%28Beethoven%29>
1895:
Alexander Stepanovich Popov presented his radio receiver, refined as a
lightning detector, to the Russian Physical and Chemical Society.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_Stepanovich_Popov>
1915:
World War I: The German submarine Unterseeboot 20 torpedoed and sank
the ocean liner RMS Lusitania , killing 1,198 on board.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RMS_Lusitania>
1920:
Soviet Russia recognized the independence of the Democratic Republic of
Georgia by signing the Treaty of Moscow, only to invade the country six
months later.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty_of_Moscow_%281920%29>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
countenance (v):
To tolerate, support, sanction, or approve of something
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/countenance>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
If nature has been frugal in her gifts and endowments, there is the
more need of art to supply her defects. If she has been generous and
liberal, know that she still expects industry and application on our
part, and revenges herself in proportion to our negligent ingratitude.
The richest genius, like the most fertile soil, when uncultivated,
shoots up into the rankest weeds; and instead of vines and olives for
the pleasure and use of man, produces, to its slothful owner, the most
abundant crop of poisons.
--David Hume
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/David_Hume>
Haumea is a dwarf planet in the Kuiper belt one-third the mass of
Pluto. It was discovered in 2004 by a team headed by Mike Brown of
Caltech at the Palomar Observatory in the United States, and in 2005 by
a team headed by J. L. Ortiz at the Sierra Nevada Observatory in Spain,
though the latter claim has been contested. On September 17, 2008, it
was accepted as a dwarf planet by the International Astronomical Union
(IAU) and named after Haumea, the Hawaiian goddess of childbirth.
Haumea's extreme elongation makes it unique among known trans-Neptunian
objects. Although its shape has not been directly observed,
calculations from its light curve suggest it is an ellipsoid, with its
greatest axis twice as long as its shortest. Nonetheless, its gravity
is believed sufficient for it to have relaxed into hydrostatic
equilibrium, thereby meeting the definition of a dwarf planet. This
elongation, along with its unusually rapid rotation, high density, and
high albedo (due to a surface of crystalline water ice), are thought to
be the results of a giant collision, which left Haumea the largest
member of a collisional family that includes several large TNOs and its
two known moons.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haumea_%28dwarf_planet%29>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1863:
American Civil War: The Army of Northern Virginia, led by Robert E. Lee
and Stonewall Jackson, scored a decisive Confederate victory at the
Battle of Chancellorsville near Spotsylvania Courthouse, Virginia.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Chancellorsville>
1882:
The United States Congress passed the Chinese Exclusion Act,
implementing a ban on Chinese immigration to the United States that
eventually lasted for over 60 years until the 1943 Magnuson Act.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_Exclusion_Act_%28United_States%29>
1937:
The German zeppelin Hindenburg caught fire and was destroyed while
trying to land at Lakehurst Naval Air Station in New Jersey, killing
over 30 people on board.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LZ_129_Hindenburg>
1994:
The Channel Tunnel, a 50.5-kilometre (31.4 mi) undersea rail tunnel
beneath the English Channel at the Strait of Dover connecting
Folkestone, Kent, England to Coquelles, France, officially opened.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Channel_Tunnel>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
lax (adj):
1. Lenient and allowing for deviation; not strict.
2. Loose; not tight or taut
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/lax>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Being entirely honest with oneself is a good exercise.
--Sigmund Freud
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Sigmund_Freud>
The exosome complex is a multi-protein complex, capable of degrading
various types of RNAs. Exosome complexes can be found in both
eukaryotic cells and archaea, while in bacteria a simpler complex
called the degradosome carries out similar functions. The core of the
complex has a six-membered ring structure, to which other proteins are
attached. In eukaryotic cells, it is present in the cytoplasm, nucleus
and especially the nucleolus, although different proteins interact with
the complex in these compartments, in order to regulate the RNA
degradation activity of the complex to substrates specific for these
cell compartments. Substrates of the exosome include messenger RNA,
ribosomal RNA, and many species of small RNAs. The exosome has an
exoribonucleolytic function, meaning it degrades RNA starting at one
side (the so-called 3' end in this case), rather than cleaving the RNA
at specific sites. Although no causative relation between the complex
and any disease is known, several proteins in the complex are the
target of autoantibodies in patients with specific autoimmune diseases
(especially the PM/Scl overlap syndrome) and some antimetabolitic
chemotherapies for cancer function by blocking the activity of the
complex.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exosome_complex>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
553:
The Second Council of Constantinople, believed to have been the fifth
Christian Ecumenical Council, began to discuss the topics of
Nestorianism and Origenism, among others.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Council_of_Constantinople>
1789:
The Estates-General convened in Versailles to discuss a financial
crisis in France, triggering a series of events that led to the French
Revolution.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Estates-General_of_1789>
1949:
Ten European countries signed the Treaty of London, creating the
Council of Europe, today one of the oldest international organisations
working for European integration.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Council_of_Europe>
1950:
Prince Bhumibol Adulyadej was crowned in Bangkok as King Rama IX of
Thailand, currently the world's longest-serving head of state.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bhumibol_Adulyadej>
1994:
Armenia and Azerbaijan signed the Bishkek Protocol, a provisional
ceasefire treaty to end hostilities in the Nagorno-Karabakh War, with
both sides agreeing, among others, to grant a wide-ranging autonomy to
the Nagorno-Karabakh region.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nagorno-Karabakh_War>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
stygian (adj):
1. Dark and gloomy.
2. Infernal or hellish.
3. Of, or relating to the river Styx
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/stygian>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
If I have ventured wrongly, very well, life then helps me with its
penalty. But if I haven't ventured at all, who helps me then?
--Søren Kierkegaard
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/S%C3%B8ren_Kierkegaard>
Ed Stelmach (born 1951) is the current Premier of Alberta, Canada,
having served in this capacity since December 14, 2006. He spent his
entire pre-political adult life as a farmer, except for some time spent
studying at the University of Alberta. His first foray into politics
was a 1986 municipal election, when he was elected to the county
council of Lamont County. A year into his term, he was appointed reeve.
He continued in this position until his entry into provincial politics.
In the 1993 provincial election, Stelmach was elected as the Member of
the Legislative Assembly for Vegreville-Viking. A Progressive
Conservative, he served in the cabinets of Ralph Klein. When Klein
resigned the party's leadership in 2006, Stelmach was among the first
candidates to replace him. After a third place finish on the first
ballot of the leadership race, he won an upset second ballot victory
over former provincial treasurer Jim Dinning. Stelmach's premiership
has been heavily focussed on management of the province's oil reserves,
especially those of the Athabasca Oil Sands. Other policy initiatives
have included commencing an overhaul of the province's health
governance system, a re-introduction of all-party committees to the
Legislature, and the conclusion of a major labour agreement with
Alberta's teachers.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ed_Stelmach>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1493:
Pope Alexander VI issued the papal bull Inter caetera, establishing a
Line of Demarcation dividing the New World between Spain and Portugal.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inter_caetera>
1886:
An unknown assailant threw a bomb into a crowd of police, turning a
peaceful labor rally in Chicago into the Haymarket massacre, resulting
in the deaths of seven police officers and an unknown number of
civilians.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haymarket_affair>
1949:
A plane carrying almost the entire Torino A.C. football team crashed
into the hill of Superga near Turin, Italy, killing all 31 aboard
including 18 players, club officials, and the journalists accompanying
them.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Superga_air_disaster>
1979:
Margaret Thatcher became the first female Prime Minister of the United
Kingdom, following the defeat of James Callaghan's incumbent Labour
government in the previous day's general election.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Margaret_Thatcher>
1990:
The Supreme Soviet of the Latvian SSR declared the restoration of
independence of Latvia, stating that the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact and
the Soviet occupation of Latvia in 1940 were illegal.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/On_the_Restoration_of_Independence_of_the_Repu…>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
gullet (n):
The throat or esophagus
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/gullet>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
A teacher who is attempting to teach without inspiring the pupil with a
desire to learn is hammering cold iron.
--Horace Mann
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Horace_Mann>
The structural history of the Roman military describes the major
chronological transformations in the organization and constitution of
ancient Rome's armed forces, "the most effective and long-lived
military institution known to history". From its origins around 800 BC
to its final dissolution in 476 AD with the demise of the Western Roman
Empire, Rome's military underwent substantial structural change. Rome's
military structure passed through four distinct phases. Initially,
Rome's military consisted of an annual citizen levy performing military
service as part of their duty to the state. As the extent of the
territories falling under Roman suzerainty expanded, and the size of
the city's forces increased, the soldiery of ancient Rome became
increasingly professional and salaried. In the third phase of the
city's military development, Rome's forces were tasked with manning and
securing the borders of the provinces brought under Roman control, as
well as Italy itself. Strategic-scale threats were generally less
serious in this period, and strategic emphasis was placed on preserving
gained territory. In the final phase of Rome's military, military
service continued to be salaried and professional for Rome's regular
troops. The uniformity of structure found in Rome's earlier military
forces disappeared. This was accompanied by a trend in the late empire
of an increasing predominance of cavalry rather than infantry troops,
as well as a requital of more mobile operations.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Structural_history_of_the_Roman_military>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1791:
The Polish Constitution of May 3, one of the earliest codified national
constitutions in the world, was adopted by the Sejm.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constitution_of_May_3%2C_1791>
1815:
Austrian troops led by Frederick Bianchi, Duke of Casalanza defeated
the forces under King Joachim Murat of Naples at the Battle of
Tolentino, the decisive battle of the Neapolitan War.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Tolentino>
1837:
The National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, the oldest
university in the eastern Mediterranean, was founded.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_and_Kapodistrian_University_of_Athens>
1942:
World War II: Japanese forces began invading Tulagi and nearby islands
in the Solomon Islands Protectorate, enabling them to establish a base
so they could threaten and interdict the supply and communication
routes between the United States and Australia and New Zealand.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Invasion_of_Tulagi_%28May_1942%29>
1947:
A new Constitution of Japan went into effect, providing for a
parliamentary system of government, guaranteeing certain fundamental
rights, and relegating the Japanese monarchy to a purely ceremonial
role.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constitution_of_Japan>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
resile (v):
1. To start back; to recoil; to recede from a purpose.
2. To spring back; rebound; resume the original form or position, as
an elastic body
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/resile>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
The lion cannot protect himself from traps, and the fox cannot defend
himself from wolves. One must therefore be a fox to recognize traps,
and a lion to frighten wolves.
--Niccolò Machiavelli
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Niccol%C3%B2_Machiavelli>
John Frusciante (born 1970) is an American guitarist, singer,
songwriter and record producer. He is best known as the guitarist of
the alternative rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers, with whom he has
recorded five studio albums. Frusciante also maintains an active solo
career, having released ten albums under his own name, as well as two
collaborations with Josh Klinghoffer and Joe Lally, under the name
Ataxia. His solo recordings incorporate a variety of elements ranging
from experimental rock and ambient music to New Wave and electronica.
Drawing influence from guitarists of various genres, Frusciante
emphasizes melody and emotion in his guitar playing, and favors vintage
guitars and analog recording techniques. Frusciante joined the Red Hot
Chili Peppers at the age of eighteen, first appearing on the band's
1989 album Mother's Milk. The group's follow-up album, Blood Sugar Sex
Magik, was a breakthrough success. However, he was overwhelmed by the
band's newfound popularity and as a result quit in 1992. He became a
recluse and entered a long period of heroin addiction, during which he
released his first recordings: Niandra Lades and Usually Just a T-Shirt
(1994) and Smile from the Streets You Hold (1997). In 1998, Frusciante
successfully completed drug rehabilitation and rejoined the Chili
Peppers for their 1999 album Californication. Since then he has
continued to record with the band and has received critical recognition
for his guitar playing, ranking eighteenth on Rolling Stone's list of
"The 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time" in 2003.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Frusciante>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1808:
Beginning of the Peninsular War: The people of Madrid rebelled against
French occupation of the city.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dos_de_Mayo_Uprising>
1829:
Captain Charles Fremantle of the Royal Navy established the Swan River
Colony, the first British settlement on the west coast of Australia.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swan_River_Colony>
1945:
World War II: General Helmuth Weidling, commander of the German troops
in Berlin, surrendered the city to Soviet forces led by General Georgy
Zhukov, ending the Battle of Berlin.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Berlin>
1982:
Falklands War: HMS Conqueror launched three torpedoes and sank ARA
General Belgrano , the only ship ever to have been sunk by a
nuclear-powered submarine.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ARA_General_Belgrano>
1986:
Henri Toivonen was killed in an accident while leading the Tour de
Corse rally, resulting in FISA, the sport governing body for motor
racing events, banning the powerful and popular Group B rally cars for
the following season.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henri_Toivonen>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
alacrity (n):
1. Eagerness; liveliness; enthusiasm.
2. Promptness; speed
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/alacrity>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Philosophy can bake no bread; but she can procure for us God, Freedom,
Immortality.
--Novalis
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Novalis>