The City and South London Railway was the first deep-level underground
"tube" railway in the world, and the first major railway to use
electric traction. Originally intended for cable-hauled trains, the
collapse of the cable contractor while the railway was under
construction forced a change to electric traction, an experimental
technology at the time, before the line opened. When opened in 1890, it
had six stations and ran for 3.2 miles (5.1 km) in a pair of tunnels
between the City of London and Stockwell, passing under the River
Thames. The diameter of the tunnels restricted the size of the trains
and the small carriages with their high-backed seating were nicknamed
padded cells. The railway was extended several times north and south;
eventually serving 22 stations over a distance of 13.5 miles (21.7 km)
from Camden Town in north London to Morden in Surrey. Although the
C&SLR was well used, low ticket prices and the construction cost of the
extensions placed a strain on the company's finances. In 1913, the
C&SLR became part of the Underground Group of railways and, in the
1920s, it underwent major reconstruction works before its merger with
another of the Group's railways. In 1933, the C&SLR and the rest of the
Underground Group was taken into public ownership. Today, its tunnels
and stations form the Bank branch and Kennington to Morden section of
the London Underground's Northern Line.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/City_and_South_London_Railway>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1793:
French Revolution: After being found guilty of treason by the National
Convention, King Louis XVI was guillotined in front of a cheering crowd
at the Place de la Révolution in Paris.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_XVI_of_France>
1919:
The First Dáil Éireann first convened at the Mansion House in Dublin,
adopting a Declaration of Independence calling for a new sovereign
state: the Irish Republic.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_D%C3%A1il>
1948:
The Flag of Quebec , featuring a white cross and four fleurs-de-lis on
a blue field, was adopted and flown for the first time over the Quebec
Parliament Building in Quebec City.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_Quebec>
1968:
Vietnam War: The Vietnam People's Army attacked Khe Sanh Combat Base, a
U.S. Marines outpost in Quang Tri Province, South Vietnam, starting the
Battle of Khe Sanh.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Khe_Sanh>
2008:
The Eyak language in Alaska became extinct after Marie Smith Jones, the
language's last native speaker, died, an event that became a symbol in
the fight against language extinction.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eyak_language>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
beneficiary (n):
(law) One who benefits from the distribution, especially of an estate
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/beneficiary>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Was a revelation to be made known to us, it must be accommodated to our
external senses, and also to our reason, so that we could come at the
perception and understanding of it, the same as we do to that of things
in general. We must perceive by our senses, before we can reflect with
the mind.
--Ethan Allen
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Ethan_Allen>
Raptor Red is a 1995 fiction novel by paleontologist Robert T. Bakker.
The book is a third-person account of dinosaurs during the Cretaceous
Period, told from the point of view of Raptor Red, a female Utahraptor.
Raptor Red features many of Bakker's theories regarding dinosaurs'
social habits, intelligence, and the world in which they lived. The
book follows a year in Raptor Red's life as she loses her mate, finds
her family, and struggles to survive in a hostile environment. Bakker
drew inspiration from Ernest Thompson Seton's works that look at life
through the eyes of predators, and said that he found it "fun" to write
from a top predator's perspective.<ref name="usatoday-jones"/> Bakker
based his portrayals of dinosaurs and other prehistoric wildlife on
fossil evidence, as well as studies of modern animals. When released,
Raptor Red was generally praised: Bakker's anthropomorphism was seen as
a unique and positive aspect of the book, and his writing described as
folksy and heartfelt. Criticisms of the novel included a perceived lack
of characterization and average writing. Some scientists, such as
paleontologist David B. Norman, took issue with the scientific theories
portrayed in the novel, fearing that the public would accept them as
fact, while Discovery Channel host Jay Ingram defended Bakker's
creative decisions in an editorial.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raptor_Red>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
250:
Pope Fabian became one of the first people to die during Roman Emperor
Decius' widespread persecution of Christians.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Fabian>
1576:
León in Guanajuato, Mexico, was founded by order of Viceroy Martín
Enríquez de Almanza of New Spain.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Le%C3%B3n%2C_Guanajuato>
1839:
Chilean troops decisively defeated the forces of the Peru-Bolivian
Confederation at the Battle of Yungay in the Ancash Region of Peru,
effectively ending the War of the Confederation.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Yungay>
1840:
William II became King of the Netherlands after his father William I
abdicated the throne.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_II_of_the_Netherlands>
1942:
The Holocaust: SS-Obergruppenführer Reinhard Heydrich and other senior
Nazi German officials met at the Wannsee Conference in the Berlin
suburb of Wannsee to discuss implementing of the "Final Solution to the
Jewish Question".
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wannsee_Conference>
1990:
The Soviet Red Army violently cracked down on Azeri pro-independence
demonstrations in Baku, Azerbaijan SSR.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_January>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
transmontane (adj):
Of or relating to the other side of the mountains
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/transmontane>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
There's new energy to harness, new jobs to be created, new schools to
build, and threats to meet, alliances to repair. The road ahead will be
long. Our climb will be steep. We may not get there in one year or even
in one term. But, America, I have never been more hopeful than I am
tonight that we will get there. I promise you, we as a people will get
there.
--Barack Obama
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Barack_Obama>
The history of the Montreal Canadiens professional ice hockey club
dates back to its founding on December 4, 1909, as a charter member of
the National Hockey Association. Created to appeal to Montreal's
francophone population, they played their first game on January 5,
1910, and captured their first Stanley Cup in 1916. The Montreal
Canadiens were one of the four founding teams of the National Hockey
League (NHL) in 1917. The club struggled during the Great Depression,
nearly relocating to Cleveland, Ohio, in 1935 and contemplated
suspending operations in 1939. Maurice Richard became the first player
in NHL history to score 50 goals in a single season in 1944–45 and
sparked the Richard Riot in 1955 when he was suspended for attacking a
linesman. The Canadiens won a record five consecutive titles from 1956
to 1960, and nine more between 1964 and 1978 under general manager Sam
Pollock. Led by goaltender Patrick Roy, they won their 24th Stanley Cup
in 1993, the last Canadian team to do so. The Hockey Hall of Fame has
inducted over 50 former Canadiens players, as well as 10 executives.
The team has retired 14 numbers and has honoured 10 off-ice personnel
in its Builder's Row.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_Montreal_Canadiens>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1806:
The United Kingdom occupied the Cape of Good Hope for a second time
after relinquishing control of the territory three years earlier.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cape_of_Good_Hope>
1817:
An army of over 5,400 soldiers led by General José de San Martín
crossed the Andes from Argentina to liberate Chile and then Peru from
Spanish rule.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crossing_of_the_Andes>
1839:
The Royal Marines landed at Aden to occupy the territory and stop
attacks by pirates against the British East India Company's shipping to
India. The city in present-day Yemen remained under British control
until 1967.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aden>
1917:
Approximately 50 tons of TNT exploded at a munitions factory in
Silvertown in West Ham, present-day Greater London, killing over 70
people and injuring over 400 others
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silvertown_explosion>
2006:
In the deadliest aviation accident in Slovak history, an Antonov An-24
aircraft operated by the Slovak Air Force crashed in northern Hungary,
near Hejce and Telkibánya, killing 42 of the 43 people on board.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2006_Slovak_Air_Force_Antonov_An-24_crash>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
disdain (v):
To regard (someone or something) with strong contempt
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/disdain>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Thou wouldst be loved? — then let thy heart
From its present pathway part not!
Being everything which now thou
art,
Be nothing which thou art not.
So with the world thy gentle ways,
Thy grace, thy more than beauty,
Shall be an endless theme of praise,
And love — a simple duty.
--Edgar Allan Poe
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Edgar_Allan_Poe>
Meerkat Manor: The Story Begins is a 2008 television film created by
Discovery Films and Oxford Scientific Films as a prequel to the Animal
Planet series Meerkat Manor. A scripted documentary narrated by Whoopi
Goldberg, the film details the life of a meerkat named Flower from
birth to her becoming the leader of a meerkat group called the
Whiskers. The film is based on the research notes of the Kalahari
Meerkat Project and primarily uses wild meerkat "actors" to represent
those in the story. Shot over two years at the Kuruman River Reserve in
Northern Cape, South Africa, the film employed a much larger crew than
the series. Some scenes were shot at a wildlife park in the United
Kingdom, while others were created using camera tricks and trained film
animals. The 75-minute film premiered at the 2008 Tribeca Film Festival
before its television premiere on Animal Planet on May 25, 2008. While
it was praised for its cinematography, for maintaining the depth of
coverage of the television series, and for its accessibility to
newcomers to the series, it was criticized for not offering anything
new to fans. The Kalahari Meerkat Project noted that the film was not
completely accurate but praised it overall, though one reviewer found
the "fictionalization" regrettable. Several reviewers praised
Goldberg's narration, but the script was cited as being too simplistic
for adult viewers.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meerkat_Manor%3A_The_Story_Begins>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1486:
Elizabeth of York married Henry VII of England, becoming Queen
consort.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elizabeth_of_York>
1535:
Conquistador Francisco Pizarro founded Ciudad de los Reyes, present-day
Lima, Peru, as the capital of the lands he conquered for the Spanish
Crown.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Lima>
1871:
A number of independent German states unified into the German Empire,
with Prussian King Wilhelm I being proclaimed as its first Emperor.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unification_of_Germany>
1915:
Japanese Prime Minister Ōkuma Shigenobu issued the Twenty-One Demands
to the Republic of China in a bid to increase its power in East Asia.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twenty-One_Demands>
2003:
Bushfires burning out of control began blazing through residential
areas of Canberra, Australia, eventually killing four people, and
damaging or destroying more than 500 homes.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2003_Canberra_bushfires>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
karst (n):
(geology) A type of land formation, usually with many caves formed
through the dissolving of limestone by underground drainage
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/karst>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Beyond a certain point, the whole universe becomes a continuous process
of initiation.
--Robert Anton Wilson
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Robert_Anton_Wilson>
The ketogenic diet is a high-fat, adequate-protein, low-carbohydrate
diet primarily used to treat difficult-to-control epilepsy in children.
This medical nutrition therapy mimics aspects of starvation by forcing
the body to burn fats rather than carbohydrates. Normally, the
carbohydrates contained in food are converted into glucose, which is
then transported around the body and is particularly important in
fuelling brain function. However, if there is very little carbohydrate
in the diet, the liver converts fat into fatty acids and ketone bodies.
The ketone bodies pass into the brain and replace glucose as an energy
source. The diet provides just enough protein for body growth and
repair, and sufficient calories to maintain the correct weight for age
and height. Developed in the 1920s, the classic ketogenic diet contains
a 4:1 ratio by weight of fat to combined protein and carbohydrate. This
is achieved by excluding high-carbohydrate foods such as starchy fruits
and vegetables, bread, pasta, grains and sugar, while increasing the
consumption of foods high in fat such as cream and butter. The diet,
which is closely supervised by a neurologist and a dietitian, is
effective in half of the patients who try it, and very effective in a
third. The mechanism by which the ketogenic diet reduces the frequency
of epileptic seizures is unknown.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ketogenic_diet>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1608:
Emperor Susenyos of Ethiopia and his troops surprised a raiding army of
the Oromo at Ebenat, reportedly killing 12,000 Oromo at the cost of 400
men.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Susenyos_of_Ethiopia>
1885:
Mahdist War: British troops defeated Mahdist Sudanese forces at the
Battle of Abu Klea in Khartoum, Sudan.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Abu_Klea>
1893:
The Citizens' Committee of Public Safety led by Lorrin A. Thurston
overthrew the government of Queen Liliʻuokalani of the Kingdom of
Hawaii.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liliuokalani>
1904:
Russian playwright Anton Chekhov's last play, The Cherry Orchard,
premiered at the Moscow Art Theatre in Moscow.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Cherry_Orchard>
1966:
A U.S. Air Force B-52 Stratofortress collided with a KC-135
Stratotanker during aerial refueling over the Mediterranean Sea,
dropping three hydrogen bombs on land near Palomares in the
municipality of Cuevas del Almanzora, Andalucía, Spain; and a fourth
one (pictured after its recovery) into the sea.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1966_Palomares_B-52_crash>
2002:
Mount Nyiragongo erupted in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
20 kilometres (12 mi) north of the town of Goma, destroying 4,500
buildings and leaving about 120,000 people homeless.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Nyiragongo>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
errhine (adj):
Causing an increase in mucus within the nose, and hence causing one to
sneeze
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/errhine>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
We have this window of opportunity; we have a chance to make something
real happen. Something possible happen, to live beyond our fear — think
about that, and help us. Help lift us up, help us fight this fight to
change, — transform — this country in a fundamental way.
This chance won’t come around again.
--Michelle Obama
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Michelle_Obama>
Solomon P. Sharp (1787–1825) was attorney general of Kentucky and a
member of the United States Congress and the Kentucky General Assembly.
His murder at the hands of Jereboam O. Beauchamp in 1825 is referred to
as the Beauchamp–Sharp Tragedy or The Kentucky Tragedy. Sharp began his
political career representing Warren County, Kentucky, in the Kentucky
House of Representatives. He briefly served in the War of 1812, then
returned to Kentucky and was elected to the U.S. House of
Representatives in 1813. He was re-elected to a second term, though his
support of a controversial bill regarding legislator salaries cost him
his seat in 1816. Aligning himself with Kentucky's Debt Relief Party,
he returned to the Kentucky House in 1817 but resigned his seat in 1821
to accept Governor John Adair's appointment to the post of Attorney
General of Kentucky. In 1818, rumors surfaced that Sharp had fathered a
stillborn illegitimate child with Anna Cooke. When the charges were
repeated during Sharp's 1825 General Assembly campaign, he supposedly
claimed that the child was a mulatto and could not have been his.
Jereboam Beauchamp, who had married Cooke in 1824 and was incensed by
this attack upon her honor, fatally stabbed Sharp in Sharp's home early
on the morning of November 7, 1825.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solomon_P._Sharp>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
27 BC:
Gaius Octavianus was given the title Augustus by the Roman Senate.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Augustus>
929:
Emir Abd-ar-Rahman III of Cordoba declared himself caliph, thereby
establishing the Caliphate of Córdoba.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abd-ar-Rahman_III>
1120:
The Council of Nablus was held, establishing the earliest surviving
written laws of the crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Council_of_Nablus>
1547:
Ivan the Terrible was crowned Tsar of Russia.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ivan_IV_of_Russia>
1809:
Peninsular War: French forces under Nicolas Jean de Dieu Soult attacked
the amphibious evacuation of the British under Sir John Moore in
Corunna, Galicia, Spain.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Corunna>
1992:
The Chapultepec Peace Accords were signed, ending the 12-year
Salvadoran Civil War between the military-led government of El Salvador
and the Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salvadoran_Civil_War>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
heinous (adj):
Totally reprehensible, horrible, wicked
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/heinous>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right
to say it.
--Evelyn Beatrice Hall
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Evelyn_Beatrice_Hall>
Emery Molyneux was an Elizabethan maker of globes, mathematical
instruments and ordnance. His terrestrial and celestial globes, first
published in 1592, were the first to be made in England and the first
to be made by an Englishman. Molyneux was known as a mathematician and
maker of mathematical instruments such as compasses and hourglasses. He
became acquainted with many prominent men of the day, including the
writer Richard Hakluyt and the mathematicians Robert Hues and Edward
Wright. He also knew the explorers Thomas Cavendish, Francis Drake,
Walter Raleigh and John Davis. Davis probably introduced Molyneux to
his own patron, the London merchant William Sanderson, who largely
financed the construction of the globes. When completed, the globes
were presented to Elizabeth I. Molyneux emigrated to Amsterdam with his
wife in 1596 or 1597. He succeeded in interesting the States-General,
the parliament of the United Provinces, in a cannon he had invented,
but he died suddenly in June 1598, apparently in poverty. The
globe-making industry in England died with him. Only six of his globes
are believed to be still in existence.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emery_Molyneux>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1759:
The British Museum in London, today containing one of the largest and
most comprehensive collections in the world, opened to the public in
Montagu House, Bloomsbury.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Museum>
1777:
The Republic of New Connecticut declared its independence from several
jurisdictions and land claims of the British colonies of New Hampshire
and New York.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vermont_Republic>
1885:
American photographer Wilson Bentley took the first known photograph of
a snowflake by attaching a bellows camera to a microscope.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wilson_Bentley>
1908:
Alpha Kappa Alpha, the first Greek-lettered sorority established and
incorporated by African American college women, was founded at Howard
University in Washington, D.C. by nine students.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alpha_Kappa_Alpha>
1943:
The highest-capacity office building in the world, the headquarters of
the United States Department of Defense known as the Pentagon, was
dedicated.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/the_Pentagon>
1993:
Salvatore "The Beast" Riina, one of the most powerful members of the
Sicilian Mafia, was arrested after three decades as a fugitive.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salvatore_Riina>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
damask (n):
1. An ornate silk fabric originating from Damascus.
2. A damask rose.
3. A grayish-pink color, like that of the damask
rose
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/damask>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
I know that love is ultimately the only answer to mankind's problems.
And I'm going to talk about it everywhere I go. I know it isn't popular
to talk about it in some circles today. I'm not talking about emotional
bosh when I talk about love, I'm talking about a strong, demanding
love. And I have seen too much hate... I have decided to love. If you
are seeking the highest good, I think you can find it through love. And
the beautiful thing is that we are moving against wrong when we do it,
because John was right, God is love. He who hates does not know God,
but he who has love has the key that unlocks the door to the meaning of
ultimate reality.
--Martin Luther King, Jr.
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Martin_Luther_King%2C_Jr.>
The Dark Side of the Moon is the sixth studio album by English
progressive rock group Pink Floyd. Released in March 1973, the concept
built on the ideas that the band had explored in their live shows and
previous recordings, but it lacks the extended instrumental excursions
that characterised their work following the departure in 1968 of
founding member, principal composer and lyricist, Syd Barrett. The
album's themes include conflict, greed, ageing, and mental illness, the
latter partly inspired by Barrett's deteriorating mental state. The
album was developed as part of a forthcoming tour of live performances,
and premièred several months before studio recording began. The new
material was further refined during the tour, and was recorded in two
sessions in 1972 and 1973 at Abbey Road Studios in London. Pink Floyd
used some of the most advanced recording techniques of the time,
including multitrack recording and tape loops. Analogue synthesisers
were given prominence in several tracks, and a series of recorded
interviews with staff and band personnel provided the source material
for a range of philosophical quotations used throughout. Engineer Alan
Parsons was directly responsible for some of the most notable sonic
aspects of the album, including the non-lexical performance of Clare
Torry.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Dark_Side_of_the_Moon>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1301:
The Árpád dynasty, which ruled in Hungary since the late 9th century,
ended with the death of King Andrew III.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%81rp%C3%A1d_dynasty>
1761:
The Afghans led by Ahmad Shah Abdali defeated the French-supplied and
trained Maratha troops at the Third Battle of Panipat in Panipat,
present-day Haryana, India.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Panipat_%281761%29>
1900:
Giacomo Puccini's opera Tosca, based on the play La Tosca by French
dramatist Victorien Sardou, premiered at the Teatro Costanzi in Rome.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tosca>
1943:
Japanese forces began their withdrawal from Guadalcanal at the
conclusion of the Guadalcanal Campaign of World War II.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Ke>
1952:
Today, the world's first morning/breakfast television show, debuted on
the American television network NBC.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Today_%28NBC_program%29>
2004:
The Five Cross Flag was restored to official use as the national flag
of Georgia after a hiatus of some 500 years.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_Georgia_%28country%29>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
occult (v):
(astronomy) To cover or hide from view
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/occult>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
In my great tiredness and discouragement, the phrase "Reverence for
Life" struck me like a flash. As far as I knew, it was a phrase I had
never heard nor ever read. I realized at once that it carried within
itself the solution to the problem that had been torturing me. Now I
knew that a system of values which concerns itself only with our
relationship to other people is incomplete and therefore lacking in
power for good. Only by means of reverence for life can we establish a
spiritual and humane relationship with both people and all living
creatures within our reach. Only in this fashion can we avoid harming
others, and, within the limits of our capacity, go to their aid
whenever they need us.
--Albert Schweitzer
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Albert_Schweitzer>
Ganymede is a moon of Jupiter and the largest moon in the Solar System.
Completing an orbit in roughly seven days, it is the seventh moon and
third Galilean moon from Jupiter. Ganymede participates in a 1:2:4
orbital resonance with the moons Europa and Io, respectively. It is
larger in diameter than the planet Mercury but has only about half its
mass. It has the highest mass of all planetary satellites with 2.01
times the mass of the Earth's moon. It is composed primarily of
silicate rock and water ice, and a saltwater ocean is believed to exist
nearly 200 km below Ganymede's surface. Ganymede is the only satellite
in the Solar System known to possess a magnetosphere, likely created
through convection within the liquid iron core. The satellite has a
thin oxygen atmosphere that includes O, O2, and possibly O3. Ganymede's
discovery is credited to Galileo Galilei, who observed it in 1610. The
satellite's name was soon suggested by astronomer Simon Marius, for the
mythological Ganymede, cupbearer of the Greek gods and Zeus's beloved.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ganymede_%28moon%29>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
532:
The Nika riots began in Constantinople, resulting in nearly half the
city being burned or destroyed and tens of thousands of people being
killed.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nika_riots>
1842:
When he reached the safety of a garrison in Jalalabad, Afghanistan,
William Brydon, an assistant surgeon in the British Army during the
First Anglo-Afghan War, became the sole European survivor of a party of
over 4,500 military personnel and over 10,000 civilian camp followers
retreating from Kabul, excluding a few prisoners released later.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Brydon>
1898:
The Paris newspaper L'Aurore published "J'accuse...!", an open letter
by French writer Émile Zola to French President Félix Faure exposing
the Dreyfus affair.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J%27accuse_%28letter%29>
1968:
American singer Johnny Cash recorded his landmark album At Folsom
Prison live at the Folsom State Prison in Folsom, California.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/At_Folsom_Prison>
1991:
The January Events: Soviet troops attacked Lithuanian independence
supporters at the TV Tower in Vilnius, killing 14 people.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/January_Events>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
go the extra mile (v):
(idiomatic) To make an extra effort; to do a particularly good job
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/go_the_extra_mile>
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Wikiquote quote of the day:
All religions speak about death during this life on earth. Death must
come before rebirth. But what must die? False confidence in one’s own
knowledge, self-love and egoism. Our egoism must be broken.
--G. I. Gurdjieff
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/G._I._Gurdjieff>
The Splendid Fairywren is a passerine bird of the Maluridae family. It
is found across much of the Australian continent from central-western
New South Wales and southwestern Queensland over to coastal Western
Australia. It inhabits predominantly arid and semi-arid regions.
Exhibiting a high degree of sexual dimorphism, the male in breeding
plumage is a small, long-tailed bird of bright blue and black
colouration. Non-breeding males, females and juveniles are grey-brown
in colour; this gave the early impression that males were polygamous as
all dull-coloured birds were taken for females. It comprises several
similar all-blue and black subspecies that were originally considered
separate species. Like other fairywrens, the Splendid Fairywren is
notable for several peculiar behavioural characteristics; birds are
socially monogamous and sexually promiscuous, meaning that although
they form pairs between one male and one female, each partner will mate
with other individuals and even assist in raising the young from such
pairings. Male wrens pluck pink or purple petals and display them to
females as part of a courtship display.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Splendid_Fairywren>
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Today's selected anniversaries:
1848:
The Palermo rising in Sicily commenced against the Bourbon kingdom of
the Two Sicilies.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sicilian_revolution_of_independence_of_1848>
1872:
Yohannes IV was crowned Emperor of Ethiopia in Axum, the first
imperial coronation in that city in over 200 years.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yohannes_IV_of_Ethiopia>
1895:
The National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, a
conservation organization in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, was
founded.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Trust_for_Places_of_Historic_Interest…>
1911:
The University of the Philippines College of Law was founded,
eventually graduating many of the leading Filipino political figures
since then.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_the_Philippines_College_of_Law>
1964:
Rebels led by John Okello overthrew Sultan Jamshid bin Abdullah, ending
200 years of Arab dominance in Zanzibar.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zanzibar_Revolution>
1967:
Seventy-three-year-old psychology professor James Bedford became the
first person to be cryonically frozen with intent of future
resuscitation.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cryonics>
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Wiktionary's word of the day:
demure (adj):
Quiet, modest, reserved, or serious
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/demure>
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Wikiquote quote of the day:
We must all obey the great law of change. It is the most powerful law
of nature, and the means perhaps of its conservation.
--Edmund Burke
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Edmund_Burke>