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>
_______________________________
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>
_____________________________
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>
___________________________
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>
The Rampart Dam was a hydroelectric power proposal in the 1950s and
1960s by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to dam the Yukon River in
Alaska, United States. The project was planned for Rampart Canyon,
about 105 miles (169 km) west-northwest of Fairbanks, Alaska. The
resulting dam would have created a lake roughly the size of Lake Erie,
making it the largest man-made reservoir in the world. The plan for the
dam itself called for a concrete structure 530 feet (162 m) high with a
top length of about 4,700 feet (1,430 m). Though supported by many
politicians and businesses in Alaska, the project was canceled when
concerns arose about the project's cost. Native Alaskans in the area
protested the threatened loss of nine villages that would be flooded by
the dam. Conservation groups abhorred the threatened flooding of the
Yukon Flats, a large area of wetlands that provides a critical breeding
ground for millions of waterfowl. Fiscal conservatives opposed the dam
on the grounds of its large cost and limited benefit to Americans
outside Alaska. Because of these objections, United States Secretary of
the Interior Stewart Udall formally opposed construction of the dam in
1967, and the project was shelved.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rampart_Dam>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1656:
Led by King Charles X Gustav, the armies of Sweden and Brandenburg
defeated the forces of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth near Warsaw.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Warsaw_%281656%29>
1927:
Five-year-old Michael I became King of Romania upon the death of his
grandfather Ferdinand I.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_I_of_Romania>
1944:
Adolf Hitler survived an assassination attempt by German Resistance
member Claus von Stauffenberg, who hid a bomb inside a briefcase during
a conference at the Wolfsschanze military headquarters in East Prussia.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/July_20_Plot>
1951:
Abdullah I of Jordan was assassinated by a Palestinian from the
Husseini clan while visiting Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abdullah_I_of_Jordan>
1969:
The Apollo 11 lunar module landed on the Sea of Tranquillity, where
Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin became the first men to walk on the
moon six-and-a-half hours later.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo_11>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
cavil (v):
To criticise for petty or frivolous reasons
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/cavil>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Sameness is the mother of disgust, variety the cure.
--Petrarch
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Petrarch>
Nevado del Ruiz is the northernmost volcano of the Andean Volcanic
Belt, lying about 129 kilometers (80 mi) west of Bogotá in the Tolima
Department of Colombia. It is a stratovolcano, composed of many layers
of lava alternating with hardened volcanic ash and other pyroclastic
rocks. Nevado del Ruiz has been active for about two million years,
since the early Pleistocene or late Pliocene epoch, with three major
eruptive periods. The current volcanic cone formed during the "present"
eruptive period, which began 150 thousand years ago. Nevado del Ruiz
usually generates Plinian eruptions, which produce swift-moving
currents of hot gas and rock called pyroclastic flows. These eruptions
often cause massive lahars (mud and debris flows), which pose a threat
to human life and the environment. On November 11, 1985, a small
eruption produced an enormous lahar that buried and desolated the town
of Armero in Tolima Department, causing an estimated 23,000 deaths.
This event later became known as the Armero tragedy—the deadliest lahar
in recorded history. The volcano is part of Los Nevados National Park,
which also contains several other volcanoes. The summit of Nevado del
Ruiz is covered by large glaciers, although these have retreated
significantly since 1985 due to atmospheric warming.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nevado_del_Ruiz>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
711:
According to estimations made by historian David Levering Lewis, Muslim
Arabs and Berbers led by Tariq ibn Ziyad defeated Roderic and the
Visigoths at the Battle of Guadalete.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Guadalete>
1848:
The two-day Women's Rights Convention, the first women's rights and
feminist convention held in the United States, opened in Seneca Falls,
New York.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seneca_Falls_Convention>
1870:
A dispute over who would become the next Spanish monarch following the
deposition of Isabella II during the 1868 Glorious Revolution led
France to declare war on Prussia.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franco-Prussian_War>
1916:
World War I: Australian forces engaged the Germans at the Battle of
Fromelles in France, described as "the worst 24 hours in Australia's
entire history" since 5,533 Australian soldiers were eventually killed,
wounded or taken prisoner in the failed operation.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Fromelles>
1947:
Burmese nationalist Aung San and six members of his newly-formed
cabinet were assassinated during a cabinet meeting.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aung_San>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
legwork (n):
1. (idiomatic) Work, especially research, that involves significant
walking, travel, or similar effort
2. Skillful or vigorous use of the legs, as in dance or sports
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/legwork>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Everyone has talent at twenty-five. The difficulty is to have it at
fifty.
--Edgar Degas
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Edgar_Degas>
The Age of Reason is a deistic treatise written by eighteenth-century
British radical and American revolutionary Thomas Paine that critiques
institutionalized religion and challenges the inerrancy of the Bible.
Published in three parts in 1794, 1795, and 1807, it was a bestseller
in America, where it caused a short-lived deistic revival. British
audiences, however, fearing increased political radicalism as a result
of the French revolution, received it with more hostility. The Age of
Reason presents common deistic arguments; for example, it highlights
what Paine perceives as corruption of the Christian Church and
criticizes its efforts to acquire political power. Paine advocates
reason in the place of revelation, leading him to reject miracles and
to view the Bible as an ordinary piece of literature rather than as a
divinely inspired text. The Age of Reason is not atheistic, but
deistic: it promotes natural religion and argues for a creator-God.
Most of Paine's arguments had long been available to the educated
elite, but by presenting them in an engaging and irreverent style, he
made deism appealing and accessible to a mass audience. The book was
also inexpensive, putting it within the reach of a large number of
buyers. Fearing the spread of what they viewed as potentially
revolutionary ideas, the British government prosecuted printers and
booksellers who tried to publish and distribute it.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Age_of_Reason>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
64:
The Great Fire of Rome started among the shops around the Circus
Maximus, eventually destroying four of fourteen Roman districts and
severely damaging seven others.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Fire_of_Rome>
1863:
American Civil War: Led by Union Army Colonel Robert Gould Shaw, the
54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry, the first formal African
American military unit, spearheaded an assault on Fort Wagner near
Charleston, South Carolina .
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/54th_Massachusetts_Volunteer_Infantry>
1969:
After a party on Chappaquiddick Island in Massachusetts, United States
Senator Ted Kennedy drove his car off a wooden bridge into a tidal
channel, killing his passenger Mary Jo Kopechne, a former campaign
worker.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chappaquiddick_incident>
1982:
Guatemalan military forces and their paramilitary allies slaughtered
over 250 Mayans in the village of Plan de Sánchez, Baja Verapaz.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plan_de_S%C3%A1nchez_massacre>
1989:
American actress Rebecca Schaeffer was shot and killed by stalker
Robert John Bardo, eventually prompting the passage of anti-stalking
laws in California.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rebecca_Schaeffer>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
unbosom (v):
1. To tell someone about one's troubles, and thus obtain relief.
2. To confess a misdeed
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/unbosom>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
When I die, my money's not gonna come with me. My movies will live on
for people to judge what I was as a person. I just want to stay
curious.
--Heath Ledger
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Heath_Ledger>
The Port Chicago disaster was a deadly explosion that took place on
July 17, 1944, at the Port Chicago Naval Magazine in Port Chicago,
California, in the United States. Munitions being loaded aboard a cargo
vessel bound for the Pacific Theater of Operations detonated, killing
320 sailors and civilians and injuring 390 others. Most of the dead and
injured were enlisted African American sailors. A month later,
continuing unsafe conditions inspired hundreds of servicemen to refuse
to load munitions, an act known as the Port Chicago Mutiny. Fifty men,
called the Port Chicago 50, were convicted of mutiny and sentenced to
long prison terms. Forty-seven of the 50 were released in January 1946;
the remaining three served additional months in prison. During and
after the trial, questions were raised about the fairness and legality
of the court-martial proceedings. Due to public pressure, the United
States Navy reconvened the courts-martial board in 1945; the court
affirmed the guilt of the convicted men. Widespread publicity
surrounding the case turned it into a cause célèbre among African
Americans and liberal white Americans making it, along with other
race-related Navy protests of 1944–1945, a significant motivator for
the Navy to change its practices and begin in February 1946 to
desegregate its forces.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Port_Chicago_disaster>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1936:
Nationalist rebels attempted a coup d'état against the Second Spanish
Republic, sparking the Spanish Civil War.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spanish_Civil_War>
1955:
Disneyland in Anaheim, California, the only theme park to be designed,
built, and operated by Walt Disney, opened during a televised ceremony.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disneyland_Park_%28Anaheim%29>
1973:
Mohammed Zahir Shah, the last King of Afghanistan, was ousted in a coup
by his cousin Mohammed Daoud Khan while in Italy undergoing eye
surgery.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mohammed_Zahir_Shah>
1998:
Biologists reported in the scientific journal Science how they
sequenced the genome of Treponema pallidum, the bacterium that causes
syphilis.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treponema_pallidum>
2007:
TAM Airlines Flight 3054 crashed upon landing during rain at the
Congonhas-São Paulo Airport in São Paulo, Brazil, killing 199 people,
the highest death toll of any aviation accident in Latin America and
the highest death toll of any accident involving an Airbus A320
airliner in the world.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TAM_Airlines_Flight_3054>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
susurrus (n):
A whispering or rustling sound; a murmur
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/susurrus>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Error is a hardy plant; it flourisheth in every soil;
In the heart of the wise and good, alike with the wicked and foolish;
For there is no error so crooked, but it hath in it some lines of
truth;
Nor is any poison so deadly, that it serveth not some wholesome use.
--Martin Farquhar Tupper
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Martin_Farquhar_Tupper>
Domitian was a Roman Emperor who reigned from 14 September 81 until his
death. The third and last emperor of the Flavian dynasty, Domitian's
youth and early career was largely spent in the shadow of his elder
brother Titus, who gained military renown during the First Jewish-Roman
War. Domitian's father Vespasian died on 23 June 79 and was succeeded
by Titus, whose own reign came to an unexpected end when he was struck
by a fatal illness on 13 September 81. The following day Domitian was
declared emperor by the Praetorian Guard. As emperor, Domitian
strengthened the economy by revaluing the Roman coinage, expanded the
border defenses of the Empire, and initiated a massive building
programme to restore the damaged city of Rome. As emperor, he saw
himself as the new Augustus, an enlightened despot destined to guide
the Roman Empire into a new era of Flavian renaissance. Religious,
military and cultural propaganda fostered a cult of personality, and by
nominating himself perpetual censor, he sought to control public and
private morals. As a consequence, Domitian was popular with the people
and the army but despised by members of the Roman Senate as a tyrant.
Domitian's reign came to an end on 18 September 96 when he was
assassinated by court officials. The same day he was succeeded by his
friend and advisor Nerva, who founded the long-lasting Nerva-Antonine
dynasty. After his death, Domitian's memory was condemned to oblivion
by the Roman Senate.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Domitian>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
622:
The epoch of the Islamic calendar occurred, marking the year that
Muhammad began his Hijra from Mecca to Medina.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islamic_calendar>
1769:
Spanish friar Junípero Serra founded Mission San Diego de Alcalá
(pictured today), the first Franciscan mission in the Alta California
region of New Spain.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mission_San_Diego_de_Alcal%C3%A1>
1945:
Manhattan Project: "Trinity", the first nuclear test explosion, was
detonated near Alamogordo, New Mexico, United States.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trinity_%28nuclear_test%29>
1994:
Fragments of the Shoemaker-Levy 9 comet began hitting the planet
Jupiter, with the first one causing a fireball which reached a peak
temperature of about 24,000 K.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comet_Shoemaker-Levy_9>
1999:
John F. Kennedy Jr., his wife Carolyn Bessette Kennedy, and
sister-in-law Lauren Bessette were killed in a plane crash off the
coast of Martha's Vineyard.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_F._Kennedy%2C_Jr._airplane_crash>
2004:
Chicago's Millennium Park, currently the world's largest rooftop
garden, opened.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Millennium_Park>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
haphazard (adj):
Random, chaotic, incomplete; not thorough, constant or consistent
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/haphazard>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Ignorance perpetuates itself just as knowledge does. Men write false
documents, they preach false doctrine, and those beliefs survive to
inspire wickedness in later generations. ... Conversely, some men write
and teach about the truth, only to be declared heretic by the wicked.
In such cases evil has the advantage, for it will do anything to
suppress truth, but the good man limits what he will do to suppress
falsehood.
One might almost make a rule of it: "Whoever declares another heretic
is himself a devil. Whoever places a relic or artifact above justice,
kindness, mercy, or truth is himself a devil and the thing elevated is
a work of evil magic."
--Sheri S. Tepper
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Sheri_S._Tepper>
Strapping Young Lad was a Canadian extreme metal band formed by Devin
Townsend in Vancouver, British Columbia, in 1995. The band started as a
one-man studio project; Townsend played most of the instruments on the
1995 debut album, Heavy as a Really Heavy Thing. By 1997, he had
recruited permanent members; this line-up, which consisted of Townsend
on vocals and guitar, Jed Simon on guitar, Byron Stroud on bass, and
Gene Hoglan on drums, lasted until the band's dissolution. Containing
elements of death, thrash, black and industrial metal, Strapping Young
Lad's music was characterized by the use of complex time signatures,
polyrhythmic guitar riffing and drumming, blast beats and Wall of Sound
production. The band's musical direction was mainly determined by
Townsend, whose battle with bipolar disorder and dark sense of humour
were major influences on his songwriting. Townsend was also noted for
his eccentric appearance and on-stage behaviour, which greatly
contributed to the band's intense live performances. The band gained
critical success and a growing underground fan base from their 1997
album City. After a hiatus between 1999 and 2002, the band released
three more albums, reaching their commercial peak with the 2006 effort,
The New Black. Townsend disbanded Strapping Young Lad in May 2007,
announcing his decision to retreat from public view while continuing to
record solo albums.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strapping_Young_Lad>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1240:
Swedish-Novgorodian Wars: A Novgorodian army led by Alexander Nevsky
defeated the Swedes on the Neva River near Ust-Izhora, present-day
Russia.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_the_Neva>
1685:
James Scott, Duke of Monmouth , was executed for his role in the
Monmouth Rebellion, an attempt to overthrow King James II of England.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Scott%2C_1st_Duke_of_Monmouth>
1823:
A fire, accidentally started by a workman who was repairing the lead of
the roof, destroyed the ancient Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the
Walls in Rome. The church would later be restored by 1840.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basilica_of_Saint_Paul_Outside_the_Walls>
1974:
Greek-sponsored nationalists overthrew Makarios III, President of
Cyprus, in a coup d'état and replaced him with Nikos Sampson.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Makarios_III>
1997:
Serial killer Andrew Phillip Cunanan gunned down fashion designer
Gianni Versace outside his home in Miami, Florida.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gianni_Versace>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
doppelganger (n):
1. A ghostly double of a living person, especially one that haunts such
a person.
2. An evil twin.
3. A remarkably similar double
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/doppelganger>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Try to put well in practice what you already know; and in so doing, you
will in good time, discover the hidden things which you now inquire
about. Practice what you know, and it will help to make clear what now
you do not know.
--Rembrandt
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Rembrandt>
The Beauchamp–Sharp Tragedy refers to the murder of Kentucky legislator
Solomon P. Sharp by Jereboam O. Beauchamp. As a young lawyer, Beauchamp
had been an admirer of Sharp's until the latter allegedly fathered an
illegitimate child with a woman named Anna Cooke. Sharp denied
paternity of the stillborn child. Later, Beauchamp began a relationship
with Cooke, who agreed to marry him on the condition that he kill
Sharp. Beauchamp and Cooke married in June 1824, and in the early
morning of November 7, 1825, Beauchamp murdered Sharp at Sharp's home
in Frankfort, Kentucky. An investigation soon revealed Beauchamp as the
murderer, and he was apprehended at his home in Glasgow, Kentucky, four
days after the murder. He was tried, convicted, and hanged for his
crime on July 7, 1826. He was the first person legally executed in the
state of Kentucky. While the primary motive for Sharp's murder was
defending the honor of Anna Cooke, speculation raged that Sharp's
political opponents instigated the crime. Sharp was a leader of the New
Court party during the Old Court – New Court controversy in Kentucky.
At least one Old Court partisan alleged that Sharp denied paternity of
Cooke's son by claiming the child was a mulatto, the son of a family
slave. Whether Sharp actually made such a claim has never been
verified. New Court partisans insisted that the allegation was
concocted to stir Beauchamp's anger and provoke him to murder. The
Beauchamp–Sharp Tragedy served as the inspiration for literary works,
most notably Edgar Allan Poe's unfinished Politian and Robert Penn
Warren's World Enough and Time.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beauchamp%E2%80%93Sharp_Tragedy>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1698:
The Darien scheme began with five ships departing Leith to establish a
Scottish colony on the Isthmus of Panama.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Darien_scheme>
1791:
The Priestley Riots began to drive out Joseph Priestley and other
religious Dissenters out of Birmingham, England.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Priestley_Riots>
1958:
King Faisal II, the last king of Iraq, was overthrown by a military
coup d'état led by Abd al-Karim Qasim.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/14_July_Revolution>
1969:
Political conflicts between El Salvador and Honduras erupted into the
four-day Football War, so-named because it coincided with the inflamed
rioting during the second CONCACAF qualifying round for the 1970 FIFA
World Cup.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Football_War>
2002:
After being treated for medical conditions, the orca Springer was
released into the Johnstone Strait off the coast of British Columbia,
Canada, becoming the first whale in history to be re-integrated into a
wild pod after human intervention.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Springer_%28orca%29>
2003:
The U.S. Government admitted the existence of Area 51, the secretive
military airfield in Nevada that has become a focus of various UFO and
conspiracy theories, conceding that the U.S. Air Force does have an
"operating location" there.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Area_51>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
inculcate (v):
1. To teach by repeated instruction.
2. To induce understanding or a particular sentiment
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/inculcate>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
The note of hope is the only note that can help us or save us from
falling to the bottom of the heap of evolution, because, largely, about
all a human being is, anyway, is just a hoping machine, a working
machine ... don't worry — the human race will sing this way as long as
there is a human to race. The human race is a pretty old place.
--Woody Guthrie
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Woody_Guthrie>
The Talyllyn Railway is a narrow-gauge preserved railway running for
7.25 miles (11.67 km) from Tywyn on the Mid-Wales coast to Nant Gwernol
near the village of Abergynolwyn. The line was opened in 1866 to carry
slate from the quarries at Bryn Eglwys to Tywyn, and was the first
narrow gauge railway in Britain authorised by Act of Parliament to
carry passengers using steam haulage. Despite severe under-investment,
the line remained open, and in 1951 it became the first railway in the
world to be preserved as a heritage railway by volunteers. Since
preservation, the railway has operated as a tourist attraction,
significantly expanding its rolling stock through acquisition and an
engineering programme to build new locomotives and carriages. In 1976
an extension was opened along the former mineral line from Abergynolwyn
to the new station at Nant Gwernol. In 2001 the preservation society
celebrated its 50th anniversary, and in 2005 a major rebuilding and
extension of Tywyn Wharf station took place, including a much expanded
facility for the Narrow Gauge Railway Museum. The fictional Skarloey
Railway, which formed part of the Railway Series of children's books by
the Rev. W Awdry, was based on the Talyllyn Railway. The preservation
of the line inspired the Ealing Comedy film The Titfield Thunderbolt.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talyllyn_Railway>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1643:
English Civil War: Royalists defeated the Parliamentarians at the
Battle of Roundway Down near Devizes in central Wiltshire.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Roundway_Down>
1772:
Under the command of explorer James Cook, HMS Resolution set sail from
Plymouth, England.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Resolution_%281771%29>
1863:
Three days of rioting began in New York City by opponents of new laws
passed by the United States Congress to draft men to fight in the
ongoing American Civil War.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York_Draft_Riots>
1878:
The major powers in Europe signed the Treaty of Berlin, redrawing the
map of the Balkans.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty_of_Berlin_%281878%29>
1985:
Live Aid rock music concerts, organised by singers Bob Geldof and Midge
Ure to raise funds for famine relief in Ethiopia, were held at Wembley
Stadium in London and John F. Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Live_Aid>
1995:
Bosnian Genocide: The Army of Republika Srpska under Ratko Mladić began
the Srebrenica massacre in the region of Srebrenica, Bosnia and
Herzegovina, eventually killing an estimated total of 8,000 Bosniaks.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Srebrenica_massacre>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
right as rain (adj):
1. Very good; healthy.
2. Correct; factually accurate
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/right_as_rain>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
People sometimes tell me that they prefer barbarism to civilisation. I
doubt if they have given it a long enough trial. Like the people of
Alexandria, they are bored by civilisation; but all the evidence
suggests that the boredom of barbarism is infinitely greater.
--Kenneth Clark
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Kenneth_Clark>
The 2006 Westchester County tornado was an F2 tornado that touched down
in Rockland County, New York, on July 12, 2006. It traveled 13 miles
(21 km) into southwestern Connecticut during a 33-minute span through
two states. The tornado touched down at 3:30 p.m. EDT on the shore of
the Hudson River before becoming a waterspout and traveling 3 mi (5 km)
across the river. Coming ashore, the tornado entered Westchester County
and struck the town of Sleepy Hollow at F1 intensity. After passing
through the town, it intensified into an F2 tornado and grew to almost
a quarter mile (400 m) in diameter, making it both the strongest and
largest tornado in the county's history. The tornado continued through
the county, causing damage to numerous structures, until it crossed
into Connecticut at 4:01 p.m. EDT. Not long after entering the state,
it dissipated in the town of Greenwich at 4:03 p.m. EDT. The tornado
left significant damage in its wake. Two barns and a warehouse were
destroyed, and a large stained-glass window was shattered. Numerous
homes and businesses were damaged and thousands of trees were uprooted.
There were no fatalities and only six minor injuries were associated
with the storm. Damages from the tornado totaled $12.1 million.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2006_Westchester_County_tornado>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1543:
King Henry VIII of England married Catherine Parr , his sixth and last
wife, at Hampton Court Palace.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catherine_Parr>
1790:
The Civil Constitution of the Clergy was passed, a law that
subordinated the Roman Catholic Church in France to the French
government.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civil_Constitution_of_the_Clergy>
1862:
The Medal of Honor, the highest military decoration awarded by the
United States government, was first authorized by the U.S. Congress.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medal_of_Honor>
1943:
World War II: Nazi German and Soviet forces engaged each other at the
Battle of Prokhorovka, one of the largest tank battles in military
history.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Prokhorovka>
1979:
The Gilbert Islands gained independence from the United Kingdom and
became known as Kiribati.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kiribati>
2006:
Hezbollah forces crossed the Israel–Lebanon border and attacked Israeli
military positions while firing rockets and mortars at Israeli towns,
sparking the July War.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zar%27it-Shtula_incident>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
heirloom (n):
1. A valued possession that has been passed down through the
generations.
2. A crop variety that has been passed down through generations of
farmers by seed saving and cultivation
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/heirloom>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
To affect the quality of the day, that is the highest of arts. Every
man is tasked to make his life, even in its details, worthy of the
contemplation of his most elevated and critical hour.
--Henry David Thoreau
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Henry_David_Thoreau>
The John Brownlee sex scandal occurred in 1934 in Alberta, Canada, and
forced the resignation of Premier John Edward Brownlee. Brownlee was
accused of seducing Vivian MacMillan, a family friend and a secretary
for Brownlee's attorney-general, in 1930 when she was eighteen years
old, and continuing the affair for three years. MacMillan claimed that
the married premier had told her that she must have sex with him for
his own sake and that of his invalid wife. She had, she testified,
relented after physical and emotional pressure. Brownlee called her
story a fabrication, and suggested that it was the result of a
conspiracy by MacMillan, her would-be fiancé, and several of Brownlee's
political opponents in the Alberta Liberal Party. MacMillan and her
father sued Brownlee for seduction. After a sensational trial in June
1934, the six man jury found in favour of the plaintiffs, awarding them
$10,000 and $5,000, respectively. In an unusual move, trial judge
William Ives disregarded the jury's finding and dismissed the case. The
Supreme Court of Canada eventually overturned the decision and awarded
MacMillan $10,000 in damages. This award was affirmed by the Judicial
Committee of the British Privy Council, Canada's highest court of
appeal at the time. All of this, however, was largely academic to
Brownlee, who resigned after the jury's finding. During the next
election, his United Farmers of Alberta were wiped out of the
legislature, failing to retain a single seat.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Brownlee_sex_scandal>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1789:
French Revolution: Jacques Necker was dismissed as Director-General of
Finances of France, sparking public demonstrations in Paris that led to
the Storming of the Bastille three days later.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacques_Necker>
1804:
U.S. Vice President Aaron Burr mortally wounded former U.S. Treasury
Secretary Alexander Hamilton during a duel in Weehawken, New Jersey.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burr-Hamilton_duel>
1921:
The Irish War of Independence ended with a truce between the United
Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and the Irish Republican Army,
resulting in negotiations that eventually led to the Anglo-Irish Treaty
and the establishment of the Irish Free State.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irish_War_of_Independence>
1943:
In a massive ethnic cleansing operation, units of the Ukrainian
Insurgent Army attacked various Polish villages in the Volhynia region
of present-day Ukraine, killing the Polish civilians and burning those
settlements to the ground.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Massacres_of_Poles_in_Volhynia>
1960:
American author Harper Lee's novel To Kill a Mockingbird, featuring
themes of racial injustice and the destruction of innocence in the
American Deep South, was first published.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/To_Kill_a_Mockingbird>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
aflutter (adj):
In a state of excited anticipation or confusion
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/aflutter>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Sailors have an expression about the weather: they say the weather is a
great bluffer. I guess the same is true of our human society — things
can look dark, then a break shows in the clouds, and all is changed.
--E. B. White
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/E._B._White>
John Calvin (1509–1564) was an influential French theologian and pastor
during the Protestant Reformation. He was a principal figure in the
development of the system of Christian theology later called Calvinism.
Originally trained as a humanist lawyer, he suddenly broke from the
Roman Catholic Church in the 1520s. After religious tensions provoked a
violent uprising against Protestants in France, Calvin fled to Basel,
Switzerland, where in 1536 he published the first edition of his
seminal work Institutes of the Christian Religion. Calvin was mainly
based in Geneva where he promoted reforms in the church. He introduced
new forms of church government and liturgy, despite the opposition of
several powerful families in the city. Calvin's writing and preaching
provided the seeds for the branch of theology that bears his name. The
Presbyterian and other Reformed churches, which look to Calvin as a
chief expositor of their beliefs, have spread throughout the world.
Calvin's thought exerted considerable influence over major religious
figures and entire religious movements, such as Puritanism, and his
ideas have been cited as contributing to the rise of capitalism,
individualism, and representative democracy in the West.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Calvin>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1553:
Four days after the death of her predecessor, Edward VI, Lady Jane Grey
was officially proclaimed Queen of England, beginning her reign as the
"The Nine Days' Queen".
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lady_Jane_Grey>
1796:
German mathematician and scientist Carl Friedrich Gauss discovered that
every positive integer is representable as a sum of at most three
triangular numbers.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carl_Friedrich_Gauss>
1800:
Lord Wellesley, Governor-General of the British Raj, founded Fort
William College in Fort William, India, to promote Bengali, Hindi and
other vernaculars of the subcontinent.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_William_College>
1941:
The Holocaust: Approximately 40 non-Jewish ethnic Poles from around the
nearby area mass murdered hundreds of Jewish residents of Jedwabne in
occupied Poland .
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jedwabne_pogrom>
1976:
An industrial accident in a chemical manufacturing plant near Milan,
Italy, resulted in the highest known exposure to
2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin in residential populations, which
gave rise to numerous scientific studies and standardized industrial
safety regulations.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seveso_disaster>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
purport (v):
1. To convey, imply, or profess outwardly.
2. To intend
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/purport>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Science is but a perversion of itself unless it has as its ultimate
goal the betterment of humanity.
--Nikola Tesla
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Nikola_Tesla>
Gropecunt Lane was a street name found in English towns and cities
during the Middle Ages, believed to be a reference to the prostitution
centred on those areas; it was normal practice for a medieval street
name to reflect the street's function, or the economic activity taking
place within it. Gropecunt, the earliest known use of which is in about
1230, appears to have been derived as a compound of the words "grope"
and "cunt". Streets with that name were often in the busiest parts of
medieval towns and cities, and at least one appears to have been an
important thoroughfare. Although the name was once common throughout
England, changes in attitude resulted in it being replaced by more
innocuous versions such as Grape Lane. Gropecunt was last recorded as a
street name in 1561.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gropecunt_Lane>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1789:
French Revolution: The National Constituent Assembly was formed from
the National Assembly, and began to function as a governing body and a
drafter for a new constitution.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Constituent_Assembly>
1868:
The Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, including
the Citizenship Clause, the Equal Protection Clause and the Privileges
or Immunities Clause among others, was ratified by the minimum required
twenty-eight U.S. states.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fourteenth_Amendment_to_the_United_States_Cons…>
1944:
World War II: American forces defeated Japanese on the island of Saipan
in the Mariana Islands.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Saipan>
1955:
The Russell-Einstein Manifesto, signed by Albert Einstein, Bertrand
Russell and nine other preeminent intellectuals and scientists, was
issued during a press conference in London in the midst of the Cold
War, calling for a conference where scientists would assess the dangers
posed to the survival of humanity by weapons of mass destruction.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pugwash_Conferences_on_Science_and_World_Affai…>
1999:
Six days of student protests began after Iranian police attacked a
University of Tehran dormitory following a peaceful student
demonstration against the closure of the reformist newspaper Salam.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iran_student_protests%2C_July_1999>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
cadre (n):
1. A frame or framework.
2. (military) The framework or skeleton upon which a regiment is to be
formed; the officers of a regiment forming the staff.
3. The core of a managing group
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/cadre>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Nature is busy creating absolutely unique individuals, whereas culture
has invented a single mold to which all must conform. It is grotesque.
--U. G. Krishnamurti
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/U._G._Krishnamurti>
Kevin Pietersen (born 1980) is an English cricketer. He is an attacking
right-handed batsman and occasional off spin bowler who plays for
Hampshire County Cricket Club, England, and was captain of the Indian
Premier League team Royal Challengers Bangalore. He was captain of the
England Test and One Day International teams from 4 August 2008 to 7
January 2009. He resigned after just three tests and nine One Day
Internationals, following a dispute with England coach Peter Moores,
who was sacked the same day. He made his first-class debut for Natal in
1997 before moving to England after voicing his displeasure at the
racial quota system in place in South Africa, and to further his
opportunities for playing at international level. He made his
international debut in the One Day International match against Zimbabwe
in 2004, and his Test match debut in the 2005 Ashes series against
Australia the following year. Pietersen became the fastest batsman to
reach both 1000 and 2000 runs in One Day International cricket, and has
the highest average of any England player to have played more than 20
innings of one-day cricket. In July 2008, after a century against South
Africa, The Times called him "the most complete batsman in cricket".
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kevin_Pietersen>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1579:
Our Lady of Kazan , a holy icon of the Russian Orthodox Church, was
discovered underground in Kazan, present-day Tatarstan, Russia.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Our_Lady_of_Kazan>
1709:
Great Northern War: Peter I of Russia defeated Charles XII of Sweden in
Poltava, Ukraine, effectively ending Sweden's role as a major power in
Europe.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Poltava>
1859:
Charles XV became King of Sweden and Norway following the death of his
father Oscar I.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_XV_of_Sweden>
1947:
After various news agencies reported the capture of a "flying disc" by
U.S. Air Force personnel from the Roswell Army Air Field in Roswell,
New Mexico, the U.S. Military issued another press release maintaining
that what was actually recovered was debris from an experimental
high-altitude surveillance weather balloon.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roswell_UFO_Incident>
2004:
After a 19-month trial, U.S. Marine Corps Major Michael Brown was
convicted by a court in Naha, Okinawa for an attempted indecent assault
on a Filipina bartender.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Brown_Okinawa_assault_incident>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
oilskin (n):
1. Cloth made from cotton and treated with oil and pigment to make it
waterproof.
2. A raincoat made from cotton fabric treated this way.
3. (by
extension) Foul-weather gear worn by sailors, whether of natural or
synthetic materials
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/oilskin>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
As far as service goes, it can take the form of a million things. To do
service, you don't have to be a doctor working in the slums for free,
or become a social worker. Your position in life and what you do
doesn't matter as much as how you do what you do.
--Elisabeth Kübler-Ross
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Elisabeth_K%C3%BCbler-Ross>
Thriller is the sixth studio album by American recording artist Michael
Jackson. The album was released on November 30, 1982, by Epic Records
as the follow-up to Jackson's critically and commercially successful
1979 album Off the Wall. Thriller explores similar genres to those of
Off the Wall, including funk, disco, soul, soft rock, R&B and pop.
However, Thriller's lyrics deal with generally darker themes, including
paranoia and the supernatural. With the release of the second single
"Billie Jean", the album topped the charts in many countries. In just
over a year, Thriller became—and currently remains—the best-selling
album of all time. Seven of the album's nine songs were released as
singles, and all reached the top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100. The album
won a record-breaking eight Grammy Awards at the 1984 Grammys. The
album was one of the first to use music videos as successful
promotional tools—the videos for Thriller, "Billie Jean" and "Beat It"
all received regular rotation on MTV. Thriller ranked number 20 on
Rolling Stone magazine's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time list in 2003,
and was preserved by the Library of Congress to the National Recording
Registry, as it was deemed "culturally significant".
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thriller_%28album%29>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1585:
The Treaty of Nemours was first signed, forcing Henry III of France to
give in to the demands of the Catholic League and revoking all edicts
granting concessions to the Huguenots.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty_of_Nemours>
1798:
The Quasi-War, an undeclared war fought entirely at sea, began after
the United States rescinded their treaties with France.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quasi-War>
1807:
Tsar Alexander I of Russia and Napoleon I of France signed the first
agreement of the Treaties of Tilsit, ending the War of the Fourth
Coalition.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaties_of_Tilsit>
1928:
The Chillicothe Baking Company in Chillicothe, Missouri, USA, first
produced sliced bread, advertised as "the greatest forward step in the
baking industry since bread was wrapped", which then led to the popular
phrase "the greatest thing since sliced bread".
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/sliced_bread>
1937:
The Imperial Japanese Army defeated the Republic of China's National
Revolutionary Army on Beijing's Marco Polo Bridge, marking the
beginning of the Second Sino-Japanese War.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marco_Polo_Bridge_Incident>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
tectiform (adj):
Roof-shaped; sloping downwards on two sides from a raised center
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/tectiform>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Do not confuse "duty" with what other people expect of you; they are
utterly different. Duty is a debt you owe to yourself to fulfill
obligations you have assumed voluntarily. Paying that debt can entail
anything from years of patient work to instant willingness to die.
Difficult it may be, but the reward is self-respect.
--Robert A. Heinlein
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Robert_A._Heinlein>
The fauna of Scotland is generally typical of the north-west European
part of the Palearctic ecozone, although several of the country's
larger mammals were hunted to extinction in historic times and human
activity has also led to various species of wildlife being introduced.
Scotland's diverse temperate environments support 62 species of wild
mammals, including a population of Wild Cats, important numbers of Grey
and Harbour Seals and the most northerly colony of Bottlenose Dolphins
in the world. Many populations of moorland birds, including Blackcock
and the Red Grouse, live here, and the country has internationally
significant nesting grounds for seabirds such as the Northern Gannet.
The Golden Eagle has become a national icon, and White-tailed Eagles
and Ospreys have recently re-colonised the land. The Scottish Crossbill
is the only endemic vertebrate species in the British Isles. Scotland's
seas are among the most biologically productive in the world; it is
estimated that the total number of Scottish marine species exceeds
40,000. An estimated 14,000 species of insect, including rare bees and
butterflies protected by conservation action plans, inhabit Scotland.
Conservation agencies in the UK are concerned that climate change,
especially its potential effects on mountain plateaus and marine life,
threaten much of the fauna of Scotland.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fauna_of_Scotland>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1415:
The Council of Constance executed Jan Hus , founder of the Christian
Hussite reform movement, for committing heresy.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hussite>
1887:
King Kalākaua of Hawai'i was forced to sign the Bayonet Constitution,
stripping the Hawaiian monarchy of much of its authority as well as
disfranchising all Asians, most native Hawaiians, and the poor.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1887_Constitution_of_the_Kingdom_of_Hawaii>
1957:
At a concert by The Quarrymen at the St. Peter's Church Woolton Garden
fête, band member John Lennon met Paul McCartney, triggering a series
of events that led to the forming of The Beatles.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Quarrymen>
1966:
Hastings Banda became the first president of Malawi, exactly two years
after the country was granted independence from the United Kingdom.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hastings_Banda>
2006:
Nathu La, a mountain pass in the Himalayas connecting between India and
China, sealed during the Sino-Indian War, re-opened for trade after
more than 40 years.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nathu_La>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
gurgle (v):
1. To flow with a bubbling sound.
2. To make such a sound
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/gurgle>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
I wish to have no connection with any ship that does not sail fast; for
I intend to go in harm's way.
--John Paul Jones
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/John_Paul_Jones>
Portal is a single-player first-person action/puzzle video game
developed by Valve Corporation. The game was released in a bundle
package called The Orange Box for Microsoft Windows and Xbox 360 on
October 9, 2007, and for the PlayStation 3 on December 11, 2007. The
Windows version of the game is also available for download separately
through Valve's content delivery system, Steam and was released as a
standalone retail product on April 9, 2008. The game consists primarily
of a series of puzzles that must be solved by teleporting the player's
character and other simple objects using the Portal Gun, a unit that
can create an inter-spatial portal between flat planes. The player
character is challenged by an AI named "GLaDOS" to complete each puzzle
using the Portal Gun with the promise of receiving cake when all the
puzzles are completed. The unusual physics allowed by the portal gun
are the emphasis of this game, and are an extension of a similar portal
concept in Narbacular Drop. Portal has been acclaimed as one of the
most original games in 2007 despite being comparatively short in
length. The game has received praise for its unique gameplay and darkly
humorous story, created with the assistance of Erik Wolpaw and Chet
Faliszek of "Old Man Murray" fame. It is also revered for the character
of GLaDOS, voiced by Ellen McLain in the English version, and the final
credits song "Still Alive" written by Jonathan Coulton for the game.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portal_%28video_game%29>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1687:
The Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica by Isaac Newton was
first published, describing his laws of motion and his law of universal
gravitation.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philosophi%C3%A6_Naturalis_Principia_Mathemati…>
1946:
Named after Bikini Atoll, the site of the nuclear weapons test
Operation Crossroads in the Marshall Islands, the modern bikini was
introduced at a fashion show in Paris.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/bikini>
1950:
The Israeli Knesset enacted the Law of Return, granting Jews around the
world the right to migrate to and settle in Israel and gain
citizenship.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Law_of_Return>
1996:
A cloned sheep named Dolly, the first mammal to have been successfully
cloned from an adult cell, was born at the Roslin Institute in
Midlothian, Scotland near Edinburgh.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dolly_%28sheep%29>
2004:
Indonesia held its first direct presidential elections; Susilo Bambang
Yudhoyono would later be elected president during the second round of
the elections on September 20.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indonesian_presidential_election%2C_2004>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
progenitor (n):
1. Any of a person's direct ancestors; an individual from whom one or
more people are descended.
2. A predecessor of something.
3. Someone who originates or founds
something
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/progenitor>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Take a commonplace, clean it and polish it, light it so that it
produces the same effect of youth and freshness and originality and
spontaneity as it did originally, and you have done a poet’s job. The
rest is literature.
--Jean Cocteau
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Jean_Cocteau>
Hispanic Americans in World War II fought in every major battle in the
European Theatre, from North Africa to the Battle of the Bulge, and in
the Pacific Theater of Operations, from Bataan to Okinawa. According to
the National World War II Museum, between 250,000 and 500,000 Hispanic
Americans served in the Armed Forces during WWII, out of a total of
10,420,000, comprising 2.3% to 4.7% of the Armed Forces. Not only did
Hispanics serve as active combatants in the European and Pacific
Theatres of war, but they also served on the home front as civilians.
Hundreds of Hispanic women joined the Women's Army Auxiliary Corps and
Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service, serving as nurses and
in administrative positions. When the induction into the armed forces
was increased some Puerto Ricans from the island were assigned to units
in the Panama Canal Zone and British Caribbean islands which were made
up mostly of continental (United States mainland) soldiers as
replacements, however most Puerto Ricans and Hispanics residing in
Puerto Rico were assigned to the 65th Infantry Regiment or to the
Puerto Rico National Guard. These were the only all-Hispanic units
whose statistics were kept; hence, it is known that over 53,000 Puerto
Ricans and Hispanics who resided on the island served in the war.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hispanic_Americans_in_World_War_II>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
993:
Pope John XV became the first pope to canonize a saint, Ulrich of
Augsburg.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ulrich_of_Augsburg>
1754:
French and Indian War: In the aftermath of losing the Battle of Fort
Necessity near present-day Farmington, Pennsylvania, George Washington
accepted the terms of what would become his only military surrender and
peacefully withdrew his forces.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Fort_Necessity>
1862:
In a rowing boat travelling on the River Thames from Oxford to Godstow,
author Lewis Carroll told Alice Liddell and her sisters a story that
would eventually form the basis for his book Alice's Adventures in
Wonderland.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lewis_Carroll>
1941:
German AB-Aktion operation in Poland: After capturing Lwów, the Nazis
executed approximately 45 professors of the University of Lwów.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Massacre_of_Lviv_professors>
1976:
Israel Defense Forces raided Uganda's Entebbe International Airport to
free hostages taken by hijackers on Air France Flight 139.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Entebbe>
2005:
The NASA space probe Deep Impact impacted the nucleus of the comet
Tempel 1 , excavating debris from its interior to study its
composition.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deep_Impact_%28space_mission%29>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
inalienable (adj):
Incapable of being alienated, surrendered, or transferred to another
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/inalienable>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Happiness in this world, when it comes, comes incidentally. Make it the
object of pursuit, and it leads us a wild-goose chase, and is never
attained. Follow some other object, and very possibly we may find that
we have caught happiness without dreaming of it.
--Nathaniel Hawthorne
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Nathaniel_Hawthorne>
Anne of Denmark (1574–1619) was queen consort of Scotland, England, and
Ireland as the wife of King James VI and I. The second daughter of King
Frederick II of Denmark, Anne married James in 1589 at the age of
fourteen and bore him three children who survived infancy, including
the future Charles I. She demonstrated an independent streak and a
willingness to use factional Scottish politics in her conflicts with
James over the custody of Prince Henry and his treatment of her friend
Beatrix Ruthven. Anne appears to have loved James at first, but the
couple gradually drifted and eventually lived apart, though mutual
respect and a degree of affection survived. In England, Anne shifted
her energies from factional politics to patronage of the arts and
constructed a magnificent court of her own, hosting one of the richest
cultural salons in Europe. After 1612, she suffered sustained bouts of
ill health and gradually withdrew from the centre of court life. Though
she was reported to have died a Protestant, evidence suggests that she
may have converted to Catholicism at some stage in her life. Historians
have traditionally dismissed Anne as a lightweight queen, frivolous and
self-indulgent. However, recent reappraisals acknowledge Anne's
assertive independence and, in particular, her dynamic significance as
a patron of the arts during the Jacobean age.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anne_of_Denmark>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1608:
French explorer Samuel de Champlain founded Quebec City, considered to
be the first European-built city in non-Spanish North America.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samuel_de_Champlain>
1778:
American Revolutionary War: Loyalists and Iroquois killed or tortured
over 300 Patriots at the Battle of Wyoming in Pennsylvania.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Wyoming>
1844:
The last known pair of Great Auks (illustration by John Gerrard
Keulemans shown), the only species in the genus Pinguinus, were killed
in Eldey off the coast of Iceland.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Auk>
1863:
Pickett's Charge, a disastrous Confederate infantry assault against
Union Army positions, occurred during the final and bloodiest day of
fighting in the Battle of Gettysburg, marking a turning point in the
American Civil War.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pickett%27s_Charge>
1988:
United States Navy warship USS Vincennes shot down Iran Air Flight 655
over the Persian Gulf, killing all 290 people aboard.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iran_Air_Flight_655>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
excoriate (v):
1. To wear off the skin of; to chafe or flay.
2. To strongly denounce or censure
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/excoriate>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Youth is happy because it has the ability to see beauty. Anyone who
keeps the ability to see beauty never grows old.
--Franz Kafka
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Franz_Kafka>
Bruce Castle is a Grade I listed 16th-century manor house in Lordship
Lane, Tottenham, London. It is named after the House of Bruce who
formerly owned the land on which it is built. Believed to lie on the
site of an earlier building, about which little is known, the current
house is one of the oldest surviving English brick houses. It was
remodelled in the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries. The house has been
home to Sir William Compton, Richard Sackville, the Barons Coleraine
and Sir Rowland Hill, among others. After serving as a school during
the 19th century, when a large extension was built to the west, it was
converted into a museum exploring the history of the areas which
constitute the present London Borough of Haringey and the history of
the postal service. The building also houses the archives of the London
Borough of Haringey. Since 1892 the grounds have been a public park,
Tottenham's oldest.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bruce_Castle>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
626:
Forces led by Li Shimin, a son of Emperor Gaozu of Tang China, ambushed
and killed his rival brothers Li Jiancheng, the Crown Prince, and Li
Yuanji at the imperial palace in Chang'an.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Incident_at_Xuanwu_Gate>
1644:
The combined forces of the Scottish Covenanters and the English
Parliamentarians defeated the Royalists at the Battle of Marston Moor,
one of the decisive encounters of the English Civil War, near York.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Marston_Moor>
1937:
Aviation pioneer Amelia Earhart and navigator Fred Noonan disappeared
over the Pacific Ocean during an attempt to make a circumnavigational
flight.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amelia_Earhart>
1964:
U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act, outlawing
segregation in schools, public places, and employment by circumventing
limitations imposed by the U.S. Supreme Court in the Civil Rights
Cases.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civil_Rights_Act_of_1964>
1997:
The Thai baht rapidly lost half of its value, marking the beginning of
the Asian Financial Crisis.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1997_Asian_Financial_Crisis>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
whodunit (n):
A novel or drama concerning a crime (usually a murder) in which a
detective solves clues to determine the perpetrator
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/whodunit>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
There are gains for all our losses,
There are balms for all our pain:
But when youth, the dream,
departs,
It takes something from our hearts,
And it never comes again.
--Richard Henry Stoddard
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Richard_Henry_Stoddard>
The Hardy Boys, Frank and Joe Hardy, are fictional teenage brothers and
amateur detectives who appear in various mystery series for children
and teens. The characters were created by Edward Stratemeyer, the
founder of the Stratemeyer Syndicate, a book-packaging firm, and the
books have been written by many different ghostwriters over the years.
The books are published under the collective pseudonym Franklin W.
Dixon. The Hardy Boys have evolved in various ways since their first
appearance in 1927. Beginning in 1959, the books were extensively
revised, largely to eliminate racist stereotypes; the books were also
written in a simpler style in an attempt to compete with television.
Some critics argue that in the process the Hardy Boys changed, becoming
more respectful of the law and simultaneously more affluent, "agents of
the adult ruling class" rather than characters who aided the poor. A
new Hardy Boys series, the Hardy Boys Casefiles, was created in the
1980s, and featured murders, violence, and international espionage. The
original Hardy Boys Mystery Stories series ended in 2005. A new series,
Undercover Brothers, was launched the same year, featuring updated
versions of the characters who narrate their adventures in the first
person. Through all these changes, the characters have remained
popular. Critics have offered many explanations for the characters'
longevity, suggesting variously that the Hardy Boys embody simple
wish-fulfillment, homoerotic desire, or American ideals of masculinity.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hardy_Boys>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1569:
The Union of Lublin was signed, merging the Kingdom of Poland and the
Grand Duchy of Lithuania into a single state, the Polish–Lithuanian
Commonwealth.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Union_of_Lublin>
1867:
The British North America Act came into effect, uniting the Province of
Canada, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia into the Canadian Confederation.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constitution_Act%2C_1867>
1916:
World War I: The first day of the Battle of Albert , the opening phase
of the Battle of the Somme, became the bloodiest day in the history of
the British Army, with 57,470 casualties of which 19,240 were killed or
died of wounds.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/first_day_on_the_Somme>
1979:
Sony introduced the Walkman portable audio player, changing music
listening habits by allowing people to carry their own choice of music
with them.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walkman>
1997:
The United Kingdom transferred sovereignty of Hong Kong to the People's
Republic of China, ending over 150 years of British colonial rule.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transfer_of_sovereignty_of_Hong_Kong>
2002:
The Rome Statute entered into force, establishing the International
Criminal Court to prosecute individuals for genocide, crimes against
humanity, war crimes, and crimes of aggression.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rome_Statute_of_the_International_Criminal_Cou…>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
metrology (n):
1. The science of weights and measures or of measurement.
2. A system of weights and measures
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/metrology>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
We're on a mission from God.
--w:Dan Aykroyd
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/w%3ADan_Aykroyd>