Forest Park is a municipal and public park in the Tualatin Mountains
west of downtown Portland, Oregon. Stretching for more than 8 miles
(13 km) on hillsides overlooking the Willamette River, it is one of the
largest urban forest reserves in the United States. The park, a major
component of a regional system of parks and trails, covers more than
5,100 acres (21 km2) of mostly second-growth forest with a few patches
of old growth. About 70 miles (110 km) of recreational trails,
including the Wildwood Trail segment of the city's 40 Mile Loop system,
crisscross the park. As early as the 1860s civic leaders sought to
create a natural preserve in the woods near Portland. Their efforts led
to the creation of a municipal park commission that in 1903 hired the
Olmsted Brothers landscape architectural firm to develop a plan for
Portland's parks. More than 112 bird species and 62 mammal species
frequent the park and its wide variety of trees and shade-loving
plants. Many small tributaries of the Willamette River flow northeast
through the woods to pipes or culverts under U.S. Route 30 at the edge
of the park. Threats to the park include overuse, urban traffic,
encroaching development, invasive plants, and lack of maintenance
money. Occasional serious crimes and more frequent minor crimes have
occurred in the park.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forest_Park_%28Portland%2C_Oregon%29>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1667:
The Second Anglo-Dutch War between England and the United Provinces
ended with the signing of the Treaty of Breda in the Dutch city of
Breda.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Anglo-Dutch_War>
1703:
English writer Daniel Defoe was placed in a pillory for seditious libel
after publishing a pamphlet politically satirising the High Church
Tories.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daniel_Defoe>
1941:
The Holocaust: Under instructions from Adolf Hitler, Hermann Göring
orders SS General Reinhard Heydrich to settle "the final solution of
the Jewish question".
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Final_Solution>
1999:
NASA's Lunar Prospector was deliberately crashed into the Shoemaker
crater near the moon's south pole in an unsuccessful attempt to detect
the presence of water
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lunar_Prospector>
2006:
Following intestinal surgery, Fidel Castro provisionally transferred
the duties of the Cuban presidency to his brother Raúl.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2006%E2%80%932008_Cuban_transfer_of_presidenti…>
2007:
The Troubles: Operation Banner, the name for the British armed forces'
operation in Northern Ireland, ended after 38 years with a mlitary
stalemate and ceasefire.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Banner>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
zilch (n):
Nothing; zero
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/zilch>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
The future of humanity is uncertain, even in the most prosperous
countries, and the quality of life deteriorates; and yet I believe that
what is being discovered about the infinitely large and infinitely
small is sufficient to absolve this end of the century and millennium.
What a very few are acquiring in knowledge of the physical world will
perhaps cause this period not to be judged as a pure return of
barbarism.
--Primo Levi
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Primo_Levi>
Augusta, Lady Gregory (1852–1932) was an Irish dramatist and
folklorist. With William Butler Yeats and others, she co-founded the
Irish Literary Theatre and the Abbey Theatre, and wrote numerous short
works for both companies. Lady Gregory produced a number of books of
retellings of stories taken from Irish mythology. Born into a class
that identified closely with British rule, her conversion to cultural
nationalism, as evidenced by her writings, was emblematic of many of
the changes to occur in Ireland during her lifetime. Lady Gregory is
mainly remembered for her work behind Irish Literary Revival. Her home
at Coole Park, County Galway served as an important meeting place for
leading Revival figures, and her early work as a member of the board of
the Abbey was at least as important for the theatre's development as
her creative writings. Lady Gregory's motto was taken from Aristotle:
"To think like a wise man, but to express oneself like the common
people."
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Augusta%2C_Lady_Gregory>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1756:
Architect Bartolomeo Rastrelli presented the Catherine Palace, a Rococo
palace in Tsarskoye Selo, to Empress Elizabeth of Russia.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catherine_Palace>
1825:
Malden Island , now one of Kiribati's Line Islands, was discovered.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malden_Island>
1864:
American Civil War: Union forces failed to break Confederate lines by
exploding a large mine under their trenches at the Battle of the Crater
in Petersburg, Virginia.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_the_Crater>
1930:
Uruguay defeated Argentina, 4–2, in front of their home crowd at
Estadio Centenario in Montevideo to win the first Football World Cup.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1930_FIFA_World_Cup>
1965:
U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Social Security Act into
law, establishing Medicare and Medicaid to provide federal health
insurance for the elderly and for low income families, respectively.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medicare_%28United_States%29>
2006:
Lebanon War: The Israeli Air Force attacked a three-story building near
the South Lebanese village of Qana, killing at least 28 civilians,
including 16 children.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qana_airstrike>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
fecund (adj):
1. Highly fertile; able to produce offspring.
2. (figuratively) Leading to new ideas or innovation
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/fecund>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
I don't know you,
And you don't know me.
It is this that brings us together.
--Kate Bush
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Kate_Bush>
243 Ida is an asteroid in the Koronis family of the main belt. It was
discovered on 29 September 1884 by Johann Palisa and named after a
nymph from Greek mythology. Later telescopic observations categorized
Ida as an S-type asteroid, the most populous type in the inner asteroid
belt. On 28 August 1993, Ida was visited by the spacecraft Galileo,
bound for Jupiter. It was the second asteroid to be visited by a
spacecraft and the first found to possess a satellite. Like all
main-belt asteroids, Ida's orbit lies between the planets Mars and
Jupiter. Its orbital period is 4.84 years, and its rotation period is
4.63 hours. Ida has an average diameter of 31.4 km (19.5 mi). It is
irregularly shaped and elongated, and apparently composed of two large
objects connected together in a shape reminiscent of a croissant. Its
surface is one of the most heavily cratered in the Solar System,
featuring a wide variety of crater sizes and ages. Ida's moon, Dactyl,
was discovered by mission member Ann Harch in images returned from
Galileo. It was named after creatures which inhabited Mount Ida in
Greek mythology. Data returned from the flyby pointed to S-type
asteroids as the source for the ordinary chondrite meteorites, the most
common type found on the Earth's surface.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/243_Ida>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1014:
Byzantine-Bulgarian Wars: Forces of the Byzantine Empire defeated
troops of the Bulgarian Empire at the Battle of Kleidion in the
Belasica Mountains near present-day Klyuch, Bulgaria.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Kleidion>
1858:
Japan reluctantly signed the Treaty of Amity and Commerce, an Unequal
Treaty giving the United States various commercial and diplomatic
privileges.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty_of_Amity_and_Commerce_%28United_States-…>
1947:
ENIAC , the world's first general-purpose electronic digital computer,
was turned on in its new home at the Ballistic Research Laboratory at
Aberdeen Proving Grounds, remaining in continuous operation until
October 2 1955.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ENIAC>
1958:
U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed the National Aeronautics and
Space Act into law, establishing a new federal non-military space
agency known as NASA.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NASA>
1981:
A worldwide television audience of over 700 million people watched
Charles, Prince of Wales, marry Diana Spencer at St Paul's Cathedral in
London.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles%2C_Prince_of_Wales>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
bistro (n):
1. A small European-style restaurant.
2. A small bar
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/bistro>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
The Congress hereby declares that it is the policy of the United States
that activities in space should be devoted to peaceful purposes for the
benefit of all mankind.
--NASA
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/NASA>
The hippocampus is a major component of the brains of humans and other
mammals. It belongs to the limbic system and plays important roles in
long term memory and spatial navigation. Like the cerebral cortex, with
which it is closely associated, it is a paired structure, with
mirror-image halves in the left and right sides of the brain. In humans
and other primates, the hippocampus is located inside the medial
temporal lobe, beneath the cortical surface. In rodents, the
hippocampus has been studied extensively as part of the brain system
responsible for spatial memory and navigation. Many neurons in the rat
and mouse hippocampus respond as place cells: that is, they fire bursts
of action potentials when the animal passes through a specific part of
its environment. Because of its densely packed layers of neurons, the
hippocampus has frequently been used as a model system for studying
neurophysiology. The form of neural plasticity known as long term
potentiation (LTP) was first discovered to occur in the hippocampus and
has often been studied in this structure. LTP is widely believed to be
one of the main neural mechanisms by which memory is stored in the
brain.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hippocampus>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1809:
Peninsular War: French forces under Joseph Bonaparte suffered 7,270
casualties while Sir Arthur Wellesley's Anglo-Spanish army had 6,700 at
an inconclusive battle in Talavera, Spain.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Talavera>
1942:
World War II: Intending to increase Soviet morale and patriotism,
Joseph Stalin issued Order No. 227, ordering troops "Not a step back!"
(not to retreat) without an order or be subject to a military tribunal.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Order_No._227>
1976:
An earthquake measuring at least 8.2 on the Richter magnitude scale,
one of the deadliest in history, flattened Tangshan, China, killing at
least 240,000 people.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1976_Tangshan_earthquake>
1990:
Alberto Fujimori took office as President of Peru, becoming the first
person of Japanese descent to be the head of government of a Latin
American nation.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alberto_Fujimori>
2005:
The Provisional Irish Republican Army announced an end to its armed
campaign to overthrow British rule in Northern Ireland to create a
United Ireland.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Provisional_Irish_Republican_Army>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
nostrify (v):
1. To nostrificate; to grant recognition to a degree from a foreign
university.
2. To adopt, accept, or include as part of one's own culture
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/nostrify>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
If I could only give three words of advice, they would be, "Tell the
Truth." If I got three more words, I'd add, "All the time."
--Randy Pausch
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Randy_Pausch>
The 1759 Battle of Ticonderoga was a tactically minor confrontation at
Fort Carillon (now known as Fort Ticonderoga) on July 26 and 27, 1759,
during the French and Indian War (the North American theater of the
Seven Years' War). A British military force of more than 11,000 men
under the command of General Sir Jeffrey Amherst moved artillery to
high ground overlooking the fort, which was defended by a garrison of
400 Frenchmen under the command of Brigadier General François-Charles
de Bourlamaque. Rather than defend the fort, Bourlamaque, operating
under instructions from General Louis-Joseph de Montcalm and New
France's governor, the Marquis de Vaudreuil, withdrew his forces, and
attempted to blow the fort up. The fort's powder magazine was
destroyed, but its walls were not severely damaged. The British then
occupied the fort, which was afterwards known by the name Fort
Ticonderoga, and embarked on a series of improvements to the area and
the construction of a fleet to conduct military operations on Lake
Champlain.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Ticonderoga_%281759%29>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
811:
Bulgarian forces led by Khan Krum defeated the Byzantines at the Battle
of Pliska, annihilating almost the whole army and killing Byzantine
Emperor Nikephoros I.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Pliska>
1822:
José de San Martín met with Simón Bolívar in Guayaquil to plan for the
future of Peru and South America in general.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guayaquil_conference>
1882:
Richard Wagner's opera Parsifal premiered at the Festspielhaus in
Bayreuth, Germany.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parsifal>
1908:
Unable to use the services of U.S. Secret Service agents as
investigators because of a federal law, U.S. Attorney General Charles
Joseph Bonaparte established what is now known as the Federal Bureau of
Investigation to organize his own staff of special agents.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federal_Bureau_of_Investigation>
1963:
A 6.1 Mw earthquake struck Skopje, SR Macedonia, killing over 1,000
people, injuring over 3,000 more, and leaving between 120,000 to
200,000 people homeless.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1963_Skopje_earthquake>
1999:
Kashmir conflict: Fighting in the Kargil War ended after Indian troops
cleared the Drass subsector of Pakistani forces.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kargil_War>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
dulcet (adj):
1. Sweet, especially when describing voice or tones; melodious.
2. Generally pleasing; agreeable
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/dulcet>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
We should not pretend to understand the world only by the intellect; we
apprehend it just as much by feeling. Therefore, the judgment of the
intellect is, at best, only the half of truth, and must, if it be
honest, also come to an understanding of its inadequacy.
--Carl Jung
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Carl_Jung>
The symphonic poems are a series of 13 orchestral works by Hungarian
composer Franz Liszt. The first 12 were composed between 1848 and 1858;
the last, Von der Wiege bis zum Grabe (From the Cradle to the Grave),
followed in 1882. These works helped establish the genre of orchestral
program music—compositions written to illustrate an extra-musical plan
derived from a play, poem, painting or work of nature. They inspired
the symphonic poems of Bedřich Smetana, Antonín Dvořák, Richard Strauss
and others. Liszt's intent, according to musicologist Hugh Macdonald,
was for these single-movement works "to display the traditional logic
of symphonic thought." In other words, Liszt wanted these works to
display a complexity in their interplay of themes similar to that
usually reserved for the opening movement of the classical symphony.
The composition of the symphonic poems proved daunting. They underwent
a continual process of creative experimentation that included many
stages of composition, rehearsal and revision to reach a balance of
musical form. Aware that the public appreciated instrumental music with
context, Liszt provided written prefaces for nine of his symphonic
poems. However, Liszt's view of the symphonic poem tended to be
evocative, using music to create a general mood or atmosphere rather
than illustrate a narrative or describe something literally.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Symphonic_poems_%28Liszt%29>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
306:
Constantine I was proclaimed Roman Emperor by his troops after the
death of Constantius Chlorus.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constantine_I>
1536:
Spanish conquistador Sebastián de Belalcázar founded Santiago de Cali
in present-day western Colombia while on his search for the mythical
city of El Dorado.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cali>
1792:
French Revolutionary Wars: Charles William Ferdinand, Duke of Brunswick
issued the Brunswick Manifesto to the population of Paris, promising
vengeance if King Louis XVI and other members of the French Royal
Family were harmed.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_William_Ferdinand%2C_Duke_of_Brunswick>
1909:
French aviator Louis Blériot crossed the English Channel in a
heavier-than-air flying machine, flying from near Calais, France, to
Dover, England.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_Bl%C3%A9riot>
1978:
Two Puerto Rican pro-independence activists were killed by police at
Cerro Maravilla in Villalba, Puerto Rico, sparking a series of
political controversies where the police officers were eventually
convicted of murder and several high-ranking local government officials
were accused of covering up the incident.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cerro_Maravilla_Incident>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
bat an eyelid (v):
(idiomatic) To react in any slight way; to respond
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/bat_an_eyelid>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Though ours is a godless age, it is the very opposite of irreligious.
The true believer is everywhere on the march, and both by converting
and antagonizing he is shaping the world in his own image. And whether
we are to line up with him or against him, it is well that we should
know all we can concerning his nature and potentialities.
--Eric Hoffer
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Eric_Hoffer>
Benjamin Harrison (1833–1901) was the 23rd President of the United
States, serving one term from 1889 to 1893. Harrison was born in North
Bend, Ohio, and at age 21 moved to Indianapolis, Indiana, where he
became a prominent state politician. During the American Civil War
Harrison served as a Brigadier General in the XXI Corps of the Army of
the Cumberland. After the war he unsuccessfully ran for the
governorship of Indiana, but was later elected to the U.S. Senate from
that state. Harrison, a Republican, was elected to the presidency in
1888, defeating the Democratic incumbent, Grover Cleveland. He is the
only president elected from the state of Indiana. His presidential
administration is best known for its economic legislation, including
the McKinley Tariff and the Sherman Antitrust Act, and for annual
federal spending that reached one billion dollars for the first time.
Democrats attacked the "Billion Dollar Congress", and used the issue,
along with the growing unpopularity of the high tariff, to defeat the
Republicans, both in the 1890 mid-term elections and in Harrison's bid
for re-election in 1892.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benjamin_Harrison>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1411:
Forces of Donald of Islay, Lord of the Isles fought an army commanded
by Alexander Stewart, Earl of Mar at the Battle of Harlaw near
Inverurie in Aberdeenshire, Scotland.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Harlaw>
1567:
Mary Queen of Scots was forced to abdicate the Scottish throne and was
replaced by her one-year-old son James.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_I_of_Scotland>
1967:
During a speech in Montreal, French President Charles de Gaulle
declared "Long live free Quebec!", a statement that was interpreted as
support for Quebec independence from Canada.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vive_le_Qu%C3%A9bec_libre>
1977:
The Libyan–Egyptian War, a short border war between Libya and Egypt
over political conflicts, ended after the combatants agreed to a
ceasefire organized by Algeria.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Libyan%E2%80%93Egyptian_War>
2001:
Simeon Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, the last Tsar of Bulgaria when he was a
child, was sworn in as Prime Minister of Bulgaria, becoming one of the
first monarchs in history to regain political power through a
democratic election to a different office.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simeon_Saxe-Coburg-Gotha>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
lahar (n):
A volcanic mudflow
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/lahar>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Many have puzzled themselves about the origin of evil. I am content to
observe that there is evil, and that there is a way to escape from it,
and with this I begin and end.
--John Newton
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/John_Newton>
Alien vs. Predator is a science fiction film released in 2004 by 20th
Century Fox. It is an adaptation of a crossover franchise between the
titular extraterrestrials from the Alien and Predator series, a concept
which originated in a 1989 comic book. Set in 2004, Alien vs. Predator
follows a group of paleontologists, archaeologists, and others
assembled by billionaire Charles Bishop Weyland (Lance Henriksen) for
an expedition near the Antarctic after discovering a mysterious heat
signal. Hoping to claim the find for himself, Weyland and the group
discover a pyramid below the surface of a whaling station.
Hieroglyphics and sculptures reveal that the pyramid is a hunting
ground for Predators who kill Aliens as a rite of passage. The humans
are caught in the middle of a battle between the two species and
attempt to prevent the Aliens from reaching the surface. Released in
North America on August 13, 2004, Alien vs. Predator received mostly
negative reviews from film critics. Some praised the special effects
and set designs, while others dismissed the film for its "wooden
dialogue" and "cardboard characters". Nevertheless, Alien vs. Predator
became the most commercially successful film in the franchises,
grossing a total of $172 million. The film's success led to a sequel in
2007 titled Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alien_vs._Predator_%28film%29>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1793:
After a siege of 18 weeks, French troops in Mainz surrendered to
Prussian forces, effectively ending the Republic of Mainz, the first
democratic state on the current German territory.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Republic_of_Mainz>
1881:
The International Federation of Gymnastics, the world's oldest
international sport federation, was founded in Liège, Belgium.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/F%C3%A9d%C3%A9ration_Internationale_de_Gymnast…>
1983:
Air Canada Flight 143 crash-landed in Gimli, Manitoba, Canada, without
loss of life after the crew was forced to glide the aircraft when it
completely ran out of fuel.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gimli_Glider>
1984:
Vanessa Williams resigned as Miss America in scandal after Penthouse
magazine published nude photos of her that were taken two years prior.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vanessa_L._Williams>
1995:
Hale-Bopp , one of the most widely observed comets of the twentieth
century, was discovered by two independent observers, Alan Hale and
Thomas Bopp, at a great distance from the Sun.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comet_Hale-Bopp>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
manitou (n):
A god or spirit as the object of religious awe or ritual among some
American Indians
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/manitou>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Throughout history, it has been the inaction of those who could have
acted, the indifference of those who should have known better, the
silence of the voice of justice when it mattered most, that has made it
possible for evil to triumph.
--Haile Selassie I of Ethiopia
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Haile_Selassie_I_of_Ethiopia>
Hurricane Ioke was the strongest hurricane ever recorded in the Central
Pacific. The first storm to form in the Central Pacific in the 2006
Pacific hurricane season, Ioke was a record breaking, long-lived and
extremely powerful storm that traversed the Pacific for 19 days,
reaching the equivalent of Category 5 status on the Saffir-Simpson
Hurricane Scale three times. The cyclone developed from the
Intertropical Convergence Zone on August 20 far to the south of Hawaii.
Ioke gradually weakened as it turned northwestward and northward, and
by September 6 it had transitioned into an extratropical cyclone. The
remnants of Ioke accelerated northeastward and ultimately crossed into
Alaska. Ioke did not affect any permanently populated areas in the
Central Pacific or Western Pacific basins as a hurricane or a typhoon.
A crew of 12 people rode out the hurricane in a hurricane-proof bunker
on Johnston Atoll; the crew estimated winds reached over 100 mph
(160 km/h), which damaged trees on the island but did not impact the
island's bird population. The hurricane left moderate damage on Wake
Island totaling $88 million (2006 USD), including blown off roofs and
damaged buildings, though the infrastructure of the island was left
intact; all military personnel were evacuated from the island.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurricane_Ioke>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1099:
First Crusade: Godfrey of Bouillon was elected the first Protector of
the Holy Sepulchre in the Kingdom of Jerusalem.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Godfrey_of_Bouillon>
1793:
Two days after becoming the first recorded European to complete a
transcontinental crossing of North America north of Mexico,
Scottish-Canadian explorer Alexander MacKenzie reached the westernmost
point of his journey and inscribed his name on a rock .
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_MacKenzie>
1812:
Peninsular War: An Anglo-Portuguese force led by Arthur Wellesley
inflicted a severe defeat on Marshal Auguste de Marmont and his French
troops near Salamanca, Spain.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Salamanca>
1864:
American Civil War: Confederate forces unsuccessfully attacked Union
troops at the Battle of Atlanta.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Atlanta>
1934:
Bank robber John Dillinger, whose exploits were sensationalized across
the United States, was shot dead by police in an ambush outside the
Biograph Theater in Chicago.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Dillinger>
1944:
In opposition to the Polish government-in-exile, the Polish Committee
of National Liberation published its manifesto, calling for radical
reforms, a continuation of fighting in World War II against Nazi
Germany, nationalisation of industry, and a "decent border in the
West".
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polish_Committee_of_National_Liberation>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
shibboleth (n):
1. A word, especially seen as a test, to distinguish someone as
belonging to a particular nation, class, profession etc.
2. A common or longstanding belief, custom, or catchphrase associated
with a particular group, especially one with little current meaning or
truth
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/shibboleth>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand
A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame
Is the imprisoned
lightning, and her name
Mother of Exiles.
--Emma Lazarus
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Emma_Lazarus>
Blair Anderson Wark (1894–1941) was an Australian recipient of the
Victoria Cross, the highest decoration for gallantry "in the face of
the enemy" that can be awarded to members of the British and
Commonwealth armed forces. A quantity surveyor and member of the
Citizens Military Force, Wark enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force
on 5 August 1915, for service in the First World War. After initially
being employed in the defence of the Suez Canal, his battalion was
shipped to the Western Front; it was here that Wark would be twice
decorated for his bravery and leadership. Having received the
Distinguished Service Order in 1917 for his actions at Polygon Wood,
Wark was awarded the Victoria Cross in 1918 for his leadership and
gallantry when in temporary command of his battalion over a three-day
period, while conducting operations against the Hindenburg Line.
Returning to Australia after the war, Wark resumed work as a quantity
surveyor and established his own business. A respected member of
Australian society, he held several positions and directorships in
various companies and charities, before re-enlisting for service in the
Second World War. Promoted to lieutenant colonel, Wark assumed command
of the 1st Battalion (City of Sydney's Own Regiment), but died suddenly
at Puckapunyal Camp, Victoria, of coronary heart disease at the age of
46.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blair_Anderson_Wark>
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Today's selected anniversaries:
356 BC:
The Temple of Artemis in Ephesus, one of the Seven Wonders of the
Ancient World, was destroyed in an act of arson by a man named
Herostratus.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Temple_of_Artemis>
1403:
Forces under Henry IV of England defeated a rebel army led by Henry
'Hotspur' Percy at the Battle of Shrewsbury in what is now Battlefield,
Shropshire, England.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Shrewsbury>
1831:
In Brussels, Leopold I was inaugurated as the first King of the
Belgians.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leopold_I_of_Belgium>
1925:
Creation-evolution controversy: High school biology teacher John T.
Scopes was found guilty of violating Tennessee's Butler Act by teaching
evolution in class.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scopes_Trial>
1944:
World War II: American troops landed on Guam to liberate it from
Japanese control.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Guam_%281944%29>
1964:
Race riots began in Padang, Singapore, then part of Malaysia, during a
Malay procession marking Muhammad's birthday, leaving 23 people killed,
450 people injured, significant damage to property and vehicles, and a
government imposed 11-day curfew.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1964_race_riots_in_Singapore>
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Wiktionary's word of the day:
untoward (adj):
1. Unfavourable, adverse, or disadvantageous.
2. Unruly, troublesome.
3. Unseemly, improper
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/untoward>
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Wikiquote quote of the day:
There's no one thing that's true. It's all true.
--Ernest Hemingway
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Ernest_Hemingway>