Virginia Eliza Clemm Poe (1822–1847) was the wife of Edgar Allan Poe.
The couple were first cousins and married when Virginia Clemm was 13
and Poe was 27. Some biographers have suggested that the couple's
relationship was more like that between brother and sister than like
husband and wife and that they never consummated their marriage.
Beginning in January 1842, she struggled with tuberculosis for several
years. She died of the disease in January 1847 at the age of 24 in the
family's cottage outside New York City. Along with other family
members, Virginia Clemm and Edgar Allan Poe lived together off and on
for several years before their marriage. The couple often moved to
accommodate Poe's employment, living intermittently in Baltimore,
Philadelphia, and New York. A few years after their wedding, Poe was
involved in a substantial scandal involving Frances Sargent Osgood and
Elizabeth F. Ellet. Rumors about alleged amorous improprieties on her
husband's part affected Virginia Poe so much that on her deathbed she
claimed that Ellet had murdered her. After her death, her body was
eventually placed under the same memorial marker as her husband in
Westminster Hall and Burying Ground in Baltimore, Maryland. Only one
image of Virginia Eliza Clemm Poe has been authenticated: a watercolor
portrait painted after her death. The disease and eventual death of his
wife had a substantial impact on Edgar Allan Poe, who became despondent
and turned to drink to cope. Her struggle with illness and death are
believed to have impacted his poetry and prose, where dying young women
appear as a frequent motif, as in "Annabel Lee".
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virginia_Eliza_Clemm_Poe>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1798:
At the Battle of St. George's Caye, a small force of British settlers
called Baymen defeated an invading force from Mexico who were
attempting to claim what is now Belize for Spain.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_St._George%27s_Caye>
1897:
A peaceful labor demonstration made up of mostly Polish and Slovak
anthracite coal miners in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, USA, was fired
upon by a sheriff's posse comitatus in the Lattimer Massacre.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lattimer_massacre>
1898:
In an act of "propaganda of the deed", Italian anarchist Luigi Lucheni
fatally stabbed Empress Elisabeth of Austria in Geneva, Switzerland.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elisabeth_of_Bavaria>
1977:
Hamida Djandoubi became the last person to be guillotined in France,
the official method of execution in that country. France would later
abolish the death penalty in 1981.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/guillotine>
1990:
Pope John Paul II consecrated the Basilica of Our Lady of Peace in
Yamoussoukro, Côte d'Ivoire, one of the largest churches in the world.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basilica_of_Our_Lady_of_Peace_of_Yamoussoukro>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
alabaster (n):
1. A fine-grained white or lightly-tinted variety of gypsum, used
ornamentally.
2. (historical) A variety of calcite, translucent and sometimes banded
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/alabaster>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Better to write for yourself and have no public, than to write for the
public and have no self.
--Cyril Connolly
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Cyril_Connolly>
Cædwalla (659–689) was the King of Wessex from about 685 until 688,
when he abdicated. His name is derived from the British Cadwallon. He
was exiled as a youth, and during this time attacked the South Saxons,
in what is now Sussex, killing their king, Æthelwealh, but he was
unable to hold the territory and was driven out by Æthelwealh's
ealdormen. In either 685 or 686 he became king of Wessex. He may have
been involved in suppressing rival dynasties at this time, as an early
source records that Wessex was ruled by underkings until Cædwalla.
After his accession Cædwalla returned to Sussex and won the territory
again, and also conquered the Isle of Wight, extinguishing the ruling
dynasty there. He gained control of Surrey and the kingdom of Kent, and
in 686 he installed his brother, Mul, as king of Kent. Mul was burned
in a Kentish revolt a year later, and Cædwalla returned, possibly
ruling Kent directly for a period. Cædwalla was wounded during the
conquest of the Isle of Wight, and perhaps for this reason he abdicated
in 688 to travel to Rome for baptism. He reached Rome in April of 689,
and was baptised on the Saturday before Easter, dying ten days later on
20 April 689. He was succeeded by Ine.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C%C3%A6dwalla_of_Wessex>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
9:
Germanic Wars: An alliance of Germanic tribes led by Arminius engaged
Roman forces led by Publius Quinctilius Varus at the Battle of the
Teutoburg Forest, defeating three of the legions within the next few
days.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_the_Teutoburg_Forest>
1513:
War of the League of Cambrai: King James IV of Scotland was killed at
the Battle of Flodden Field in Northumberland while leading an invasion
of England.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_IV_of_Scotland>
1850:
As part of the Compromise of 1850, California was admitted into the
United States as a free state instead of a slave state where slavery
was legal.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/California>
1944:
With the help of the advancing forces of the Soviet Red Army, the
Bulgarian government of Konstantin Muraviev was overthrown and replaced
with a government of the Fatherland Front.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bulgarian_coup_d%27%C3%A9tat_of_1944>
2004:
A car bomb exploded outside the Australian embassy in Jakarta,
Indonesia, killing at least nine people and injuring over 150 others.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2004_Jakarta_embassy_bombing>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
scupper (v):
(UK) Thwart, destroy
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/scupper>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Seize the moments of happiness, love and be loved! That is the only
reality in the world, all else is folly. It is the one thing we are
interested in here.
--Leo Tolstoy
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Leo_Tolstoy>
Crush is a platformer-puzzle video game developed by Kuju
Entertainment's Zoë Mode studio and published by Sega in 2007 for the
PlayStation Portable. The game's protagonist is Danny, a teenager
suffering from insomnia, who uses an experimental device to explore his
mind and discover the cause for his sleeplessness. Each level of the
game, representing events from Danny's life and inspired by artists
such as Tim Burton and M.C. Escher, requires the player to control
Danny as he collects his "lost marbles" and other thoughts. Crush's
primary gameplay feature involves manipulating each game level between
3D and 2D views, allowing the player to reach platforms and locations
inaccessible from within a different view. This element was noted by
critics to be similar to one in Super Paper Mario, also released in
2007, though the Zoë Mode team had envisioned the concept five years
prior. Crush received positive reviews upon release, with critics
praising Crush's incorporation of this dimension-shifting component
alongside other aspects of the game presentation. Though Crush won
several gaming awards, including PSP game of the month, it failed to
meet the developer's sales expectations.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crush_%28video_game%29>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1331:
Stefan Uroš IV Dušan of the House of Nemanjić was crowned King of
Serbia.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stefan_Uro%C5%A1_IV_Du%C5%A1an_of_Serbia>
1504:
David, a marble sculpture by Michelangelo portraying the biblical King
David in the nude, was unveiled in Florence, Italy.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_%28Michelangelo%29>
1541:
Muscovite–Lithuanian Wars: The combined forces of the Grand Duchy of
Lithuania and the Kingdom of Poland defeated the larger army of the
Grand Duchy of Moscow in Orsha, present-day Belarus.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Orsha>
1966:
The American science fiction show Star Trek premiered on the NBC
television network, launching a media franchise that has since created
a cult phenomenon and has influenced the design of many current
technologies.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_Trek%3A_The_Original_Series>
1974:
Watergate scandal: U.S. President Gerald Ford gave recently-resigned
U.S. President Richard Nixon a full and unconditional, but
controversial, pardon for any crimes he committed while in office.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gerald_Ford>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
Hobson-Jobson (n):
A word or phrase borrowed by one language from another and modified in
pronunciation to fit the set of sounds the borrowing language typically
uses
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Hobson-Jobson>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Soldiers are citizens of death's grey land,
Drawing no dividend from time's to-morrows.
In the great hour of
destiny they stand,
Each with his feuds, and jealousies, and sorrows.
--Siegfried Sassoon
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Siegfried_Sassoon>
Amchitka is a volcanic, tectonically unstable island in the Rat Islands
group of the Aleutian Islands in southwest Alaska. It is about
68 kilometres (42 mi) long, and varies from 3 to 6 km (2–3.75 mi) in
width. It has a maritime climate, with many storms, and mostly overcast
skies. The island was populated for more than 2,500 years by the Aleut
people, but has had no permanent population since 1832. It was included
in the Alaska Purchase of 1867, and has since been part of the United
States. During World War II, it was used as an airfield by US forces in
the Battle of the Aleutian Islands. Amchitka was selected by the United
States Atomic Energy Commission to be the site for underground
detonations of nuclear weapons. Three such tests were carried out: Long
Shot, an 80 kiloton blast in 1965; Milrow, a 1 megaton blast in 1969;
and Cannikin in 1971 – at "under 5 megatons", the largest underground
test ever conducted by the United States. The tests were highly
controversial, with environmental groups fearing that the Cannikin
explosion, in particular, would cause severe earthquakes and tsunamis.
Amchitka is no longer used for nuclear testing, although it is
monitored for the leakage of radioactive materials.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amchitka>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1191:
Third Crusade: Forces under Richard I of England defeated Ayyubid
troops under Saladin in Arsuf, present-day Israel.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Arsuf>
1812:
Napoleonic Wars: The French Grande Armée forced the Russians to
withdraw at the Battle of Borodino.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Borodino>
1901:
With Peking occupied by foreign troops from the Eight-Nation Alliance,
Qing China was forced to sign the Boxer Protocol, an unequal treaty
ending the Boxer Rebellion.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boxer_Protocol>
1940:
World War II: The German Luftwaffe changed their strategy in the Battle
of Britain and began bombing London and other British cities and towns
for over 50 consecutive nights.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Blitz>
1979:
The cable television network ESPN made its debut, broadcasting and
producing sports-related programming 24 hours a day.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ESPN>
1986:
Desmond Tutu became the first black person to lead the Anglican Church
in South Africa.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Desmond_Tutu>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
catawampus (adj):
1. Out of alignment, crooked, cater-corner.
2. Fierce, destructive
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/catawampus>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
The more bombers, the less room for doves of peace.
--Nikita Khrushchev
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Nikita_Khrushchev>
Norman Birkett, 1st Baron Birkett (1883–1962) was a British barrister,
politician and judge noted for his skill as a speaker. Born in
Ulverston, Lancashire, he initially trained to be a Methodist preacher,
and attended Emmanuel College, Cambridge to study theology and history
with that in mind. He became President of the Cambridge Union, and
after switching to law graduated in 1910. He was called to the Bar in
1913 and developed a reputation as a barrister able to defend people
with almost watertight criminal cases against them, such as in the
second of the Brighton trunk murders and the Blazing Car murder. He sat
as a Member of Parliament for the constituency of Nottingham East for
two Parliaments in the 1920s, and was described as "the Lord Chancellor
that never was". In 1941, he became a judge of the High Court, and
later served as the alternate British judge in the Nuremberg Trials.
Unhappy with his time in the High Court, he accepted a position in the
Court of Appeal in 1950, but after finding he enjoyed it even less,
retired in 1956 when he had served long enough to draw a pension.
Following his retirement he was made a hereditary peer, and spoke
regularly in the House of Lords. After speaking there in 1962 he
collapsed at home, and following a failed operation died aged 78.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norman_Birkett%2C_1st_Baron_Birkett>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
394:
Forces of the Eastern Roman Emperor Theodosius I defeated Eugenius,
the usurper of the Western Roman Empire, at the Battle of the Frigidus
near modern-day Vipava, Slovenia.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theodosius_I>
1955:
An overwhelming Turkish mob attacked ethnic Greeks in Istanbul, killing
over 13 people, wounding over thirty others, and damaging over 5,000
Greek-owned homes and businesses.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Istanbul_Pogrom>
1963:
The Krulak Mendenhall mission, led by U.S. Marine Corps Major General
Victor Krulak and U.S. Foreign Service Officer Joseph Mendenhall, was
launched by the Kennedy administration to assess the progress of the
Vietnam War.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Krulak_Mendenhall_mission>
1970:
Members of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine hijacked
four jet aircraft en route from Europe to New York City, landing two of
them at Dawson's Field in Zerqa, Jordan, and one plane in Beirut,
Lebanon. The fourth hijacking was successfully foiled.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dawson%27s_Field_hijackings>
2000:
The Millennium Summit, a meeting of world leaders to discuss the role
of the United Nations in the turn of the 21st century, opened.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Millennium_Summit>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
pastiche (n):
1. A work of drama, literature, music, or architecture that imitates
the work of a previous artist, often satirically.
2. A musical medley, typically quoting other works.
3. An incongruous
mixture; a hodgepodge
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/pastiche>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
When a shepherd goes to kill a wolf, and takes his dog to see the
sport, he should take care to avoid mistakes. The dog has certain
relationships to the wolf the shepherd may have forgotten.
--Robert M. Pirsig
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Robert_M._Pirsig>
Archie Jackson (1909–1933) was an Australian cricketer who played eight
Test matches as a specialist batsman between 1929 and 1931. His Test
and first-class cricket career coincided with the early playing years
of Don Bradman, to whom he was often compared. A teenage prodigy, he
played first grade cricket at only 15 years of age and was selected for
New South Wales at 17. In 1929, aged 19, Jackson made his Test début
against England, scoring 164 in the first innings to become the
youngest player to score a Test century. Renowned for his elegant
batting style, he played in a manner similar to the great Australian
batsmen Victor Trumper, and Alan Kippax, Jackson's friend and mentor.
Jackson's career was dogged by poor health; early in the 1931–32
season, Jackson coughed blood and collapsed before the start of play in
a Sheffield Shield match against Queensland. Subsequently admitted to a
sanatorium in the Blue Mountains, west of Sydney, Jackson was diagnosed
with tuberculosis. In an attempt to improve his health and to be closer
to his girlfriend, Jackson moved to Brisbane. Ignoring medical advice,
Jackson returned to cricket with a local team; however, his health
continued to deteriorate and he died at the age of just 23.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Archie_Jackson>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1774:
In response to the British Parliament enacting the Intolerable Acts,
representatives from twelve of Britain's North American colonies
convened the First Continental Congress at Carpenters' Hall in
Philadelphia.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Continental_Congress>
1905:
Under the mediation of U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt , the
Russo-Japanese War officially ended with the signing of the Treaty of
Portsmouth at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard near Portsmouth, New
Hampshire, USA.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty_of_Portsmouth>
1914:
World War I: The First Battle of the Marne began with French forces
engaging the advancing German army at the Marne River near Paris.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Battle_of_the_Marne>
1945:
Cold War: Soviet cipher clerk Igor Gouzenko defected to Canada with
over 100 documents on Soviet espionage activities and sleeper agents.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Igor_Gouzenko>
1972:
A Palestinian terrorist group called "Black September" took hostage
eleven Israeli athletes and coaches at the Olympic Summer Games in
Munich, West Germany; all of the hostages were killed less than 24
hours later.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Munich_massacre>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
myriad (adj):
Great in number; innumerable
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/myriad>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
A planet is the cradle of mind, but one cannot live in a cradle
forever.
--Konstantin Eduardovich Tsiolkovsky
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Konstantin_Eduardovich_Tsiolkovsky>
Khan Noonien Singh is a villain in the fictional Star Trek universe.
According to backstory given in the character's first appearance, the
Star Trek original series episode "Space Seed", Khan is a superhuman
tyrant who once controlled more than a quarter of the Earth during the
Eugenics Wars of the 1990s. After being revived in 2267 by the crew of
the Enterprise, Khan attempts to capture the starship, but is thwarted
by James T. Kirk and exiled on Ceti Alpha V to create a new
civilization with his people. The character returns in the 1982 film
Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, set fifteen years after "Space Seed",
in which Khan escapes his imprisonment and sets out to seek revenge
upon Kirk. The character was portrayed by Ricardo Montalbán in both the
television episode and in the movie. Initially conceived as a brutal
man of Nordic ancestry, Khan first appears as a Sikh who is both
admired and opposed by the Enterprise crew. Harve Bennett, executive
producer for Star Trek II, chose Khan as the villain. To reflect the
time spent marooned on an inhospitable world, Khan was given a costume
which looked as though it was scavenged from different items and showed
off Montalbán's physique. The character has been positively received by
critics and fans; Khan was voted as one of the top ten greatest film
villains of all time by the Online Film Critics Society.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khan_Noonien_Singh>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1260:
Wars of the Guelphs and Ghibellines: The Siena Ghibellines defeated the
Florence Guelphs at the Battle of Montaperti outside of Siena,
present-day Italy.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Montaperti>
1886:
After over 25 years of fighting against the United States Army and the
armed forces of Mexico, Geronimo of the Chiricahua Apache surrendered
at Skeleton Canyon in Arizona.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geronimo>
1957:
Defying the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling in Brown v. Board of Education,
Arkansas Governor Orval Faubus deployed the Arkansas National Guard to
prevent African American students from attending Little Rock's Central
High School.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_Rock_Nine>
1984:
The Progressive Conservative Party led by Brian Mulroney won the
largest majority government by total number of seats in Canadian
history during the federal election.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brian_Mulroney>
1998:
Larry Page and Sergey Brin founded the company Google in Menlo Park,
California, USA, to promote the web search engine that they developed
as a research project while attending Stanford University.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Google>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
blet (v):
To undergo bletting, a fermentation process in certain fruit beyond
ripening
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/blet>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
An original writer is not one who imitates nobody, but one whom nobody
can imitate.
--François-René de Chateaubriand
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Fran%C3%A7ois-Ren%C3%A9_de_Chateaubriand>
The Cochineal, Dactylopius coccus, is a scale insect in the suborder
Sternorrhyncha, from which the crimson-colored dye, carmine, is
derived. D. coccus itself is native to tropical and subtropical South
America and Mexico. A primarily sessile parasite, this insect lives on
cacti from the genus Opuntia, feeding on plant moisture and nutrients.
The insect produces carminic acid that deters predation by other
insects. Carminic acid can be extracted from the insect's body and eggs
to make carmine dye (also known as cochineal). Carmine is primarily
used as a food colouring and for cosmetics. After synthetic pigments
and dyes such as alizarin were invented in the late 19th century,
natural-dye production gradually diminished. Health fears over
artificial food additives, however, have renewed the popularity of
cochineal dyes, and the increased demand has made cultivation of the
insect profitable again. Cochineal dyes have health risks. Unlike
hypothetical risks extrapolated from tests on other species (rats),
Cochineal-based dyes and derivatives cause allergic reactions in no
more than 1 in 10,000 consumers. The Center for Science in the Public
Interest has called on the FDA to remove insect-based dyes from the
approved list of dyes.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cochineal>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
301:
San Marino, one of the smallest nations in the world and the world's
oldest republic still in existence, was founded by Saint Marinus.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Marino>
590:
Gregory I became pope, the first one to come from a monastic
background.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Gregory_I>
1260:
Egyptian Mamluks defeated the Mongols at the Battle of Ain Jalut in
Palestine.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Ain_Jalut>
1783:
Great Britain and the United States signed the Treaty of Paris,
formally ending the American Revolutionary War.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty_of_Paris_%281783%29>
1901:
The National Flag of Australia, a Blue Ensign defaced with the
Commonwealth Star and the Southern Cross, flew for the first time atop
the Royal Exhibition Building in Melbourne.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_Australia>
1976:
The NASA Viking 2 spacecraft landed at Utopia Planitia on Mars.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viking_2>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
wanton (adj):
1. Lewd, immoral; sexually open/free.
2. Capriciously violent; malicious without provocation; acting without
regard for the law or the well-being of others.
3. Abundant and luxuriant, without restraint.
4. Playful; overly happy
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/wanton>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
The old poets little knew what comfort they could be to a man.
--Sarah Orne Jewett
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Sarah_Orne_Jewett>
The Rock Springs massacre occurred on September 2, 1885, in the
present-day United States (U.S.) city of Rock Springs, Wyoming, in
Sweetwater County. The riot, between Chinese immigrant miners and
white, mostly immigrant, miners, was the result of racial tensions and
an ongoing labor dispute over the Union Pacific Coal Department's
policy of paying Chinese miners lower wages than white miners. When the
rioting ended, at least 28 Chinese miners were dead and 15 were
wounded. Rioters burned 75 Chinese homes resulting in approximately
US$150,000 in property damage. Tension between whites and Chinese
immigrants in the late 19th century American West was particularly
high, especially in the decade preceding the violence. The massacre in
Rock Springs was the violent outburst of years of anti-"coolie"
sentiment in the United States. In the immediate aftermath of the riot,
federal troops were deployed in Rock Springs. They escorted the
surviving Chinese miners, most of whom had fled to Evanston, Wyoming,
back to Rock Springs a week after the riot. Reaction came swiftly from
the era's publications. In Rock Springs, the local newspaper endorsed
the outcome of the riot, while in other Wyoming newspapers, support for
the riot was limited to sympathy for the causes of the white miners.
The massacre in Rock Springs touched off a wave of anti-Chinese
violence, especially in the Puget Sound area of Washington Territory.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rock_Springs_massacre>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
31 BC:
Final War of the Roman Republic: Troops supporting Octavian defeated
the forces of Mark Antony and Cleopatra in the naval Battle of Actium
on the Ionian Sea near Actium in Greece.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Actium>
1666:
A large fire began on London's Pudding Lane and burned the city for
three days , destroying St Paul's Cathedral and the homes of 70,000 of
the city's 80,000 inhabitants.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Fire_of_London>
1901:
U.S. Vice President Theodore Roosevelt first uttered the famous phrase
"speak softly and carry a big stick" at the Minnesota State Fair,
describing his philosophy of negotiating peacefully while
simultaneously threatening to use military force.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Stick_ideology>
1990:
Transnistria unilaterally declared its independence from what was then
the Moldavian SSR of the Soviet Union, but no country or international
organization has yet ever recognized it to this day.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transnistria>
1998:
Swissair Flight 111, en route from New York City to Geneva, crashed
into the Atlantic Ocean, killing all 229 on board.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swissair_Flight_111>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
front (v):
1. To lead or be the spokesperson of a group.
2. To provide money or financial assistance in advance.
3. To assume a
haughty manner, especially as a pretense
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/front>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
The first casualty when war comes is truth.
--Hiram Johnson
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Hiram_Johnson>
Polish culture during World War II was brutally suppressed by the
occupying powers of Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union, both of whom
were hostile to Poland's people and culture. Policies aimed at cultural
genocide resulted in the deaths of thousands of scholars and artists,
and the theft or destruction of innumerable cultural artifacts. British
historian Niall Ferguson writes that "the maltreatment of the Poles was
one of many ways in which the Nazi and Soviet regimes had grown to
resemble one another". The occupiers looted or destroyed much of
Poland's cultural heritage, while persecuting and killing members of
the Polish cultural elite. Most Polish schools were closed, and those
that remained open saw their curricula altered significantly.
Nevertheless, underground organizations and individuals—in particular
the Polish Underground State—saved much of Poland's most valuable
cultural heritage, and worked to salvage as many cultural institutions
and artifacts as possible. The Catholic Church and wealthy individuals
contributed to the survival of some artists and their works. Despite
severe retribution by the Nazis and Soviets, Polish underground
cultural activities, including publications, concerts, live theater,
education, and academic research, continued throughout the war.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polish_culture_during_World_War_II>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1763:
Age of Enlightenment: Catherine II of Russia endorsed educator Ivan
Betskoy's plans for the Moscow Orphanage , an ambitious, state-run,
experimental Russian Enlightenment project to educate orphans into
ideal citizens.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moscow_Orphanage>
1804:
German astronomer Karl Ludwig Harding discovered Juno, one of the
largest main belt asteroids, naming it after the Roman goddess.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/3_Juno>
1939:
Nazi Germany invaded Poland at Wieluń and Westerplatte, starting World
War II in Europe.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Invasion_of_Poland_%281939%29>
1951:
Australia, New Zealand and the United States signed a mutual defence
pact known as the ANZUS Treaty in San Francisco, agreeing to cooperate
on defence matters in the Pacific Ocean area.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ANZUS>
1969:
A bloodless coup d'état led by Muammar al-Gaddafi overthrew Idris I of
Libya.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muammar_al-Gaddafi>
1983:
Soviet jet interceptors shot down the civilian airliner Korean Air
Lines Flight 007 near Sakhalin Island in the North Pacific, killing all
246 passengers and 23 crew on board.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Korean_Air_Lines_Flight_007>
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Wiktionary's word of the day:
co-mother-in-law (n):
The mother of one's son- or daughter-in-law; that is, the mother-in-law
of one's son or daughter
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/co-mother-in-law>
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Wikiquote quote of the day:
Deep in the minds of the apes was rooted the conviction that Tarzan was
a mighty fighter and a strange creature. Strange because he had had it
in his power to kill his enemy, but had allowed him to live — unharmed.
--Edgar Rice Burroughs
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Edgar_Rice_Burroughs>