Grace Sherwood was a healer, midwife, and farmer from Princess Anne
County and Pungo, Virginia. Sherwood's neighbors claimed that she
ruined crops, killed livestock, and conjured storms. She was tried for
witchcraft several times, the first in 1697 when she was accused of
casting a spell on a bull, resulting in its death. The following year
she was charged again, for bewitching the hogs and cotton crop
belonging to one of her neighbors. Her final trial took place in 1706,
when she was accused of bewitching Elizabeth Hill, causing Hill to
miscarry. The court ordered that Sherwood's guilt or innocence should
be determined by ducking her in water. If the water rejected her and
she floated, then she was guilty; if the water accepted her and she
drowned, then she was innocent. Sherwood floated to the surface, and
subsequently spent up to seven years and nine months in the jail next
to Lynnhaven Parish Church. She was free by 1714 and succeeded in
recovering her property from Princess Anne County, after which she
lived quietly until her death in 1740 at the age of 80.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grace_Sherwood>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1517:
According to traditional accounts, Martin Luther first posted his
Ninety-Five Theses onto the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg,
present-day Germany, marking the beginning of the Protestant
Reformation.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_Luther>
1864:
Nevada was admitted as the 36th U.S. State, in part to help ensure
Abraham Lincoln's re-election as President of the United States eight
days later.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nevada>
1941:
More than 101 crew members of the USS Reuben James perished when their
vessel became the first United States Navy ship sunk by hostile action
during World War II after it was torpedoed by the German submarine
U-552.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Reuben_James_%28DD-245%29>
1973:
Three Provisional Irish Republican Army members escaped from Mountjoy
Prison in Dublin after a hijacked helicopter landed in the prison's
exercise yard.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1973_Mountjoy_Prison_helicopter_escape>
1999:
All 217 people on board EgyptAir Flight 990 were killed when the
aircraft suddenly plummeted into the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of
Nantucket, Massachusetts, US.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EgyptAir_Flight_990>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
fetch (n):
1. The source and origin of attraction; a force, quality or propensity
which is attracting.
2. A stratagem by which a thing is indirectly brought to pass; a trick
or artifice.
3. The apparition of a living person; a wraith
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/fetch>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Wherein lies happiness? In that which becks
Our ready minds to fellowship divine,
A fellowship with essence;
till we shine,
Full alchemiz’d, and free of space. Behold
The clear religion of
heaven!
--John Keats
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/John_Keats>
Richard Cantillon (1680s–1734) was an Irish economist and author of
Essai Sur La Nature Du Commerce En Général (Essay on the Nature of
Trade in General), a book considered by William Stanley Jevons to be
the "cradle of political economy". Although little information exists
on Cantillon's life, it is known that he became a successful banker and
merchant at an early age. Essai remains Cantillon's only surviving
contribution to economics. It was written around 1730 and circulated
widely in manuscript form, but was not published until 1755. Despite
having much influence on the early development of the physiocrat and
classical schools of thought, Essai was largely forgotten until its
rediscovery by Jevons in the late 19th century. During the late 1710s
and early 1720s, Cantillon speculated in, and later helped fund, John
Law's Mississippi Company, from which he acquired great wealth.
Cantillon's entrepreneurial success, however, came at a cost to his
debtors, who pursued him with lawsuits, criminal charges, and even
murder plots until his death in 1734.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Cantillon>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1226:
Tran Thu Do, head of the Tran clan of Vietnam, forced Ly Hue Tong, the
last emperor of the Ly dynasty, to commit suicide.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tran_Thu_Do>
1863:
Seventeen-year old Danish Prince Vilhelm arrived in Athens to become
George I , King of Greece.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_I_of_Greece>
1960:
Surgeon and scientist Michael Woodruff performed the first successful
kidney transplant in the United Kingdom at the Edinburgh Royal
Infirmary.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Woodruff>
1961:
The Soviet hydrogen bomb Tsar Bomba was detonated over Novaya Zemlya
Island in the Arctic Sea as a test. With a yield of around 50 megatons,
it was the largest nuclear weapon ever detonated to date.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tsar_Bomba>
1991:
The Madrid Conference, an early attempt by the international community
to start a peace process through negotiations involving Israel and the
Arab countries, convened in Madrid, Spain.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madrid_Conference_of_1991>
1995:
In a referendum, the province of Quebec voted by a very narrow margin
of 50.58 percent in favour of remaining a part of Canada.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quebec_independence_referendum%2C_1995>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
catalyst (n):
1. A chemical substance that increases the rate of a chemical reaction
without being consumed in the process.
2. Someone or something that encourages progress or change
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/catalyst>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
The science of government it is my duty to study, more than all other
sciences; the arts of legislation and administration and negotiation
ought to take the place of, indeed exclude, in a manner, all other
arts. I must study politics and war, that our sons may have liberty to
study mathematics and philosophy.
--John Adams
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/John_Adams>
Fritz the Cat is a 1972 American animated film written and directed by
Ralph Bakshi (pictured) as his feature film debut. Based on the comic
strip of the same name by Robert Crumb, the film was the first animated
feature film to receive an X rating in the United States. It focuses on
Fritz (voiced by Skip Hinnant), an anthropomorphic feline in mid-1960s
New York City who explores the ideals of hedonism and sociopolitical
consciousness. The film is a satire focusing on American college life
of the era, race relations, the free love movement, and left- and
right-wing politics. Fritz the Cat was the most successful independent
animated feature of all time, grossing over $100 million worldwide. The
film had a troubled production history and controversial release.
Creator Robert Crumb is known to have had disagreements with the
filmmakers, claiming in interviews that his first wife signed over the
film rights to the characters, and that he did not approve the
production. Crumb was also critical of the film's approach to his
material. Fritz the Cat was controversial for its rating and content,
which viewers at the time found to be offensive.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fritz_the_Cat_%28film%29>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1268:
Conradin, the last Duke of Swabia, was beheaded in Naples after failing
to reclaim Sicily for the House of Hohenstaufen from Charles of Anjou.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conradin>
1618:
English courtier and explorer Walter Raleigh was executed in London
after King James I reinstated a fifteen-year old death sentence against
him.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walter_Raleigh>
1787:
The opera Don Giovanni, based on the legendary fictional libertine Don
Juan and composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, premiered in the Estates
Theatre in Prague.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don_Giovanni>
1923:
Mustafa Kemal Atatürk became the first President of the Republic of
Turkey, a new nation founded from remnants of the Ottoman Empire.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mustafa_Kemal_Atat%C3%BCrk>
1929:
A catastrophic downturn in the New York Stock Exchange on "Black
Tuesday" set off the Great Depression, triggering a chain of
bankruptcies and a worldwide economic depression.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wall_Street_Crash_of_1929>
1998:
The Truth and Reconciliation Commission presented its report on
Apartheid in South Africa, condemning both the Apartheid Government and
the African National Congress for committing atrocities.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Truth_and_Reconciliation_Commission_%28South_A…>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
worsted (n):
1. Wool yarn made from long strands of wool.
2. The fine, smooth fabric made from such wool yarn
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/worsted>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
No moral system can rest solely on authority.
--Alfred Jules Ayer
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Alfred_Jules_Ayer>
The Chetco River is a 56-mile (90 km) long stream located in the
southwestern portion of the U.S. state of Oregon. It drains
approximately 352 square miles (912 km2) of Curry County. Flowing
through a rugged and isolated coastal region, it descends rapidly from
about 3,200 feet (975 m) to sea level at the Pacific Ocean. The river's
watershed was originally settled one to three thousand years ago by the
Chetco and other Native American tribes. Several explorers, including
Sir Francis Drake, George Vancouver, and Jedediah Smith visited the
region between the 16th and 19th centuries. European American settlers
arrived soon after gold and other precious metals were discovered in
the 1840s and 1850s. The watershed remains largely undeveloped,
protected by the Rogue River – Siskiyou National Forest and the
Kalmiopsis Wilderness. The upper 45 miles (72 km) of the river have
been designated Wild and Scenic since October 28, 1988. Supporting a
large population of salmon and trout, the Chetco's water is of very
high quality. The watershed is home to many other species, including
several that are endemic to the Siskiyou Mountains area. The
northernmost grove of Redwoods—the tallest trees on Earth—grow in the
southern region of the Chetco's drainage basin. In total, the river is
home to over 200 species of animals, and 97 percent of the watershed is
forested.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chetco_River>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
312:
Constantine the Great defeated Maxentius at the Battle of the Milvian
Bridge in Rome.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_the_Milvian_Bridge>
1919:
The U.S. Congress passed the Volstead Act over President Woodrow
Wilson's veto, reinforcing Prohibition in the United States.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volstead_Act>
1954:
The Kingdom of the Netherlands was re-founded as a federacy with the
proclamation of the Charter for the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kingdom_of_the_Netherlands>
1965:
Nostra Aetate, the "Declaration on the Relation of the Church with
Non-Christian Religions" of the Second Vatican Council, was promulgated
by Pope Paul VI, absolving the Jews of the killing of Jesus, and
calling for increased relations with all non-Christian religions.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nostra_Aetate>
2007:
In the Argentine general election, Cristina Fernández de Kirchner
became the first female to be elected President of Argentina, winning
with a 22 percent lead over her nearest rival, one of the widest
margins obtained by a candidate since the collapse of the National
Reorganization Process in 1983.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cristina_Fern%C3%A1ndez_de_Kirchner>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
has-been (n):
A person, especially one formerly popular or influential, whose
popularity or effectiveness has peaked and is now in decline
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/has-been>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
The reward for work well done is the opportunity to do more.
--Jonas Salk
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Jonas_Salk>
The 2004 World Series was the Major League Baseball championship series
for the 2004 season. It was the 100th World Series and featured the
American League champion Boston Red Sox, against the National League
champion St. Louis Cardinals. The Red Sox defeated the Cardinals four
games to none in the best-of-seven series, played at Fenway Park and
Busch Memorial Stadium. The series was played between October 23 and
October 27, 2004, broadcast on Fox, and watched by an average of just
under 25 and a half million viewers. The Cardinals earned their berth
into the playoffs by winning the National League Central, and had the
best win–loss record in the National League. The Red Sox won the
American League wild card to earn their berth. The Cardinals reached
the World Series by defeating the Los Angeles Dodgers in the
best-of-five National League Division Series, and the Houston Astros in
the best-of-seven Championship Series. The Red Sox defeated the Anaheim
Angels in the American League Division Series and the New York Yankees
in the Championship Series to advance to their first World Series since
1986. The Cardinals made their first trip to the World Series since
1987. The Red Sox swept the series, winning their first championship
since 1918, which ended the "Curse of the Bambino", a curse that was
supposed to have been inflicted on the team when Babe Ruth was sold to
the Yankees in 1919.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2004_World_Series>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1275:
The earliest recorded usage of the name "Amsterdam" was made on a
certificate by Count Floris V of Holland that granted the inhabitants,
who had built a bridge with a dam across the Amstel, an exemption from
paying the bridge's tolls.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amsterdam>
1553:
Condemned as a heretic for preaching nontrinitarianism and anti-infant
baptism, Michael Servetus was burned at the stake outside Geneva.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Servetus>
1644:
English Civil War: The combined armies of Parliament inflicted a
tactical defeat on the Royalists, but failed to gain any strategic
advantage in the Second Battle of Newbury.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Battle_of_Newbury>
1904:
The first underground segment of the New York City Subway, today one of
the most extensive public transportation systems in the world, opened,
connecting New York City Hall with Harlem.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_IRT_subway_before_1918>
1992:
U.S. Navy Petty Officer Allen R. Schindler, Jr. was killed in Sasebo,
Nagasaki, Japan, a victim of a hate crime for being gay, sparking a
national debate that led to the establishment of the U.S. armed forces'
"Don't ask, don't tell" policy.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allen_R._Schindler%2C_Jr.>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
nether (adj):
1. Lower; under.
2. Lying beneath, or conceived as lying beneath, the earth’s surface
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/nether>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
They shall have stars at elbow and foot;
Though they go mad they shall be sane,
Though they sink through the
sea they shall rise again;
Though lovers be lost love shall not;
And death shall have no
dominion.
--Dylan Thomas
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Dylan_Thomas>
Frank McNamara (1894–1961) was an Australian recipient of the Victoria
Cross, the highest decoration for gallantry in the face of the enemy
that can be awarded to a member of the British and Commonwealth forces.
Serving with the Australian Flying Corps, he was honoured for his
actions on 20 March 1917, when he rescued a fellow pilot who had been
forced down behind enemy lines. McNamara was the first Australian
aviator, and the only one in World War I, to receive the Victoria
Cross. He later became a senior commander in the Royal Australian Air
Force (RAAF). Born and educated in Victoria, McNamara was a teacher
when he joined the militia prior to World War I. In 1915, he was
selected for pilot training at Central Flying School, Point Cook, and
transferred to the Australian Flying Corps the following year. He was
based in the Middle East with No. 1 Squadron when he earned the
Victoria Cross. In 1921, McNamara enlisted as a Flying Officer in the
newly formed RAAF, rising to the rank of Air Vice Marshal by 1942. He
held senior posts in England and Aden during World War II. Retiring
from the Air Force in 1946, McNamara continued to live in Britain until
his death from heart failure in 1961.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_McNamara_%28VC%29>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1825:
The Erie Canal, connecting the Great Lakes with the Hudson River and
hence the Atlantic Ocean, was opened.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erie_Canal>
1937:
Second Sino-Japanese War: Xie Jinyuan and National Revolutionary Army
soldiers began the Defense of Sihang Warehouse against waves of
Japanese attackers during the Battle of Shanghai.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Defense_of_Sihang_Warehouse>
1944:
World War II: In one of the largest naval battles in modern history,
Allied forces defeated the Imperial Japanese Navy at the Battle of
Leyte Gulf in the seas surrounding the Philippine island of Leyte.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Leyte_Gulf>
1955:
Ngo Dinh Diem proclaimed himself president of the newly created
Republic of Vietnam after defeating former Emperor Bao Dai in a
fraudulent referendum supervised by his brother Ngo Dinh Nhu.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/State_of_Vietnam_referendum%2C_1955>
2001:
U.S. President George W. Bush signed the USA PATRIOT Act into law,
significantly expanding the authority of U.S. law enforcement agencies
in fighting terrorism in the United States and elsewhere.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USA_PATRIOT_Act>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
antihero (n):
(literature) A protagonist who proceeds in an unheroic manner, such as
by criminal means, via cowardly actions, or for mercenary goals
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/antihero>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Cherish your visions and your dreams as they are the children of your
soul, the blueprints of your ultimate achievements.
--Napoleon Hill
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Napoleon_Hill>
GRB 970228 was a gamma-ray burst (GRB) detected on February 28, 1997 at
02:58 UTC. A gamma-ray burst is a highly luminous flash of gamma rays,
the most energetic form of electromagnetic radiation. Since 1993,
physicists had predicted these bursts to be followed by a longer-lived
afterglow at longer wavelengths, such as radio waves, x-rays, and even
visible light. Until this event, GRBs had only been observed at gamma
wavelengths. This was the first burst for which an afterglow was
observed. The burst had multiple peaks in its light curve and lasted
approximately 80 seconds. Peculiarities in the light curve of GRB
970228 suggested that a supernova may have occurred as well. The
position of the burst coincided with a galaxy at a redshift of
z = 0.695, providing early evidence that GRBs occur well beyond the
Milky Way.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GRB_970228>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1147:
Reconquista: Forces under King Afonso I of Portugal captured Lisbon
from the Moors after a four-month siege in what would be one of their
only successes during the Second Crusade.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siege_of_Lisbon>
1616:
The Dutch sailing ship Eendracht reached Shark Bay on the western
coastline of Australia, as documented on the Hartog Plate etched by
explorer Dirk Hartog.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eendracht_%281615_ship%29>
1854:
Charge of the Light Brigade: Lord Cardigan led his cavalry to disaster
in the Battle of Balaclava during the Crimean War.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charge_of_the_Light_Brigade>
1922:
The Third Dáil adopted the Constitution of the Irish Free State, based
on the requirements of the Anglo-Irish Treaty establishing the first
independent Irish state to be recognised by the British.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constitution_of_the_Irish_Free_State>
1924:
The Zinoviev Letter, later found to be a forgery, was published in the
Daily Mail, helping to ensure the British Labour Party's defeat in the
UK general election four days later.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zinoviev_Letter>
1971:
The UN General Assembly adopted Resolution 2758, replacing the Republic
of China with the People's Republic of China as China's representative
at the United Nations.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/China_and_the_United_Nations>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
abigeat (n):
(archaic) Theft of cattle in herds
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/abigeat>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
This day is call'd — the feast of Crispian:
He that outlives this day, and comes safe home,
Will stand a tip-toe
when this day is nam'd,
And rouse him at the name of Crispian.
He that outlives this day, and
sees old age,
Will yearly on the vigil feast his friends,
And say, "To-morrow is
Saint Crispian;"
Then will he strip his sleeve, and show his scars,
And say, "These
wounds I had on Crispin's day."
Old men forget; yet all shall be forgot,
But he'll remember, with
advantages,
What feats he did that day. Then shall our names,
Familiar in his
mouth as household words, —
Harry the King, Bedford, and Exeter,
Warwick and Talbot, Salisbury and
Gloucester,
Be in their flowing cups freshly remember'd.
This story shall the good
man teach his son;
And Crispin Crispian shall ne'er go by
>From this day to the ending of
the world,
But we in it shall be remember'd, —
We few, we happy few, we band of
brothers.
For he to-day that sheds his blood with me,
Shall be my brother; be he
ne'er so vile,
This day shall gentle his condition:
And gentlemen in England, now
a-bed,
Shall think themselves accurs'd, they were not here,
And hold their
manhoods cheap, whiles any speaks,
That fought with us upon Saint Crispin's day.
King Henry V
as
portrayed in
Henry V
by
--William Shakespeare
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/William_Shakespeare>
Robert Falcon Scott (1868–1912) was a Royal Navy officer and explorer
who led two expeditions to the Antarctic regions: the Discovery
Expedition, 1901–04, and the ill-fated Terra Nova Expedition, 1910–13.
During this second venture, Scott led a party of five which reached the
South Pole on 17 January 1912, only to find that they had been preceded
by Roald Amundsen's Norwegian expedition. On their return journey,
Scott and his four comrades all perished from a combination of
exhaustion, starvation and extreme cold. Following the news of his
death, Scott became an iconic British hero, a status maintained for
more than 50 years and reflected by the many permanent memorials
erected across the nation. In the closing decades of the 20th century,
however, in a more sceptical age, the legend was reassessed as
attention focused on the causes of the disaster and the extent of
Scott's personal culpability. From a previously unassailable position,
Scott became a figure of controversy, with questions raised about his
competence and character. Commentators in the 21st century have on the
whole regarded Scott more positively, emphasising his personal bravery
and stoicism while acknowledging his errors, but ascribing his
expedition's fate primarily to misfortune.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Falcon_Scott>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1260:
According to both modern and medieval Muslim historians, Qutuz, Mamluk
sultan of Egypt, was assassinated by a fellow Mamluk leader, Baibars,
who then seized power for himself.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qutuz>
1912:
First Balkan War: Serbian forces defeated the Ottoman army at the
Battle of Kumanovo in Vardar Macedonia.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Kumanovo>
1931:
The George Washington Bridge, today considered one of the world's
busiest bridges in terms of vehicle traffic, connecting New York City
to Fort Lee, New Jersey, was dedicated.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Washington_Bridge>
1964:
The military court of South Vietnamese junta chief Nguyen Khanh
acquitted Generals Duong Van Duc and Lam Van Phat of leading a
September 1964 coup attempt against Khanh, despite the pair's
proclamation of his overthrow during their military action.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duong_Van_Duc>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
logological (adj):
1. Of or pertaining to logology; related to the study of words.
2. (linguistics) Of or pertaining to conceptual patterns or mental
categories of words and their referents
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/logological>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
A moment of choice is a moment of truth. It's the testing point of our
character and competence.
--Stephen Covey
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Stephen_Covey>
The International Space Station is an internationally developed
research facility currently being assembled in low Earth orbit.
On-orbit construction of the station began in 1998 and is scheduled for
completion by late 2011. The station is expected to remain in operation
until at least 2015, and likely 2020. With a greater mass than that of
any previous space station, the ISS can be seen from Earth with the
naked eye, and is by far the largest artificial satellite that has ever
orbited Earth. The station serves as a research laboratory that has a
microgravity environment in which crews conduct experiments and
observations in various biological, chemical and physical sciences. The
ISS is operated by Expedition crews of 6 astronauts and cosmonauts,
with the station programme maintaining an uninterrupted human presence
in space since the launch of Expedition 1 on 31 October 2000, a total
of 9 years and 357 days, taking the record for the longest unbroken
human presence in space from the Mir programme today, 23 October 2010.
The ISS project began in 1994 with the Shuttle-Mir programme, and the
first module of the station, Zarya, was launched in 1998 by Russia.
Assembly continues, as pressurised modules and other components are
launched by American space shuttles, Russian Proton rockets and Russian
Soyuz rockets. The station currently consists of 14 pressurised modules
and an extensive integrated truss structure.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Space_Station>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
425:
Valentinian III became Emperor of the Western Roman Empire at the age
of six.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valentinian_III>
1642:
The Battle of Edgehill, the first pitched battle of the First English
Civil War between the Royalists and the Parliamentarians, was fought to
an inconclusive result near Edge Hill and Kineton in southern
Warwickshire.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Edgehill>
1739:
Great Britain declared war on Spain, starting the War of Jenkins' Ear.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_of_Jenkins%27_Ear>
1956:
The Hungarian Revolution began as a peaceful student demonstration
which attracted thousands as it marched through central Budapest to the
Parliament building.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hungarian_Revolution_of_1956>
1972:
Operation Linebacker, a US bombing campaign against North Vietnam in
response to its Easter Offensive, ended after five months.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Linebacker>
1983:
Lebanese Civil War: Suicide bombers destroyed two barracks in Beirut,
Lebanon, killing 241 U.S. servicemen and 58 French paratroopers of the
international peacekeeping force.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1983_Beirut_barracks_bombing>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
tandoor (n):
A cylindrical clay oven used, in Middle Eastern and South Asian
cuisine, to make flat bread, or to bake meat
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/tandoor>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Once the curtain is raised, the actor ceases to belong to himself. He
belongs to his character, to his author, to his public. He must do the
impossible to identify himself with the first, not to betray the
second, and not to disappoint the third. And to this end the actor must
forget his personality and throw aside his joys and sorrows. He must
present the public with the reality of a being who for him is only a
fiction. With his own eyes, he must shed the tears of the other. With
his own voice, he must groan the anguish of the other. His own heart
beats as if it would burst, for it is the other's heart that beats in
his heart. And when he retires from a tragic or dramatic scene, if he
has properly rendered his character, he must be panting and exhausted.
--Sarah Bernhardt
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Sarah_Bernhardt>
The Puerto Rican Amazon is the only bird endemic to the archipelago of
Puerto Rico belonging to the Neotropical genus Amazona. Measuring
28–30 cm (11–12 in), the Puerto Rican Amazon is a predominantly green
parrot with a red forehead and white rings around the eyes. Two
subspecies have been described, although there are doubts regarding the
distinctiveness of the form gracilipes from Culebra Island, extinct
since 1912. The Puerto Rican Amazon reaches sexual maturity between
three and four years of age. It reproduces once a year and is a cavity
nester. Once the female lays eggs she will remain in the nest and
continuously incubate them until hatching. The chicks are fed by both
parents and will fledge 60 to 65 days after hatching. This parrot's
diet is varied and consists of flowers, fruits, leaves, bark and nectar
obtained from the forest canopy. The species is the only remaining
native parrot in Puerto Rico and has been listed as critically
endangered by the World Conservation Union since 1994. Once widespread
and abundant, the population declined drastically in the 19th and early
20th centuries with the removal of most of its native habitat; the
species completely vanished from Vieques and Mona Island, nearby to the
main island of Puerto Rico. Conservation efforts commenced in 1968 to
save the bird from extinction. In 2006, the total estimated population
was 34 to 40 individuals in the wild and 143 individuals in captivity.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Puerto_Rican_Amazon>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1383:
King Ferdinand I of Portugal died without a male heir to the Portuguese
throne, resulting in a period of civil war and anarchy.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ferdinand_I_of_Portugal>
1836:
Sam Houston became the first president of the Republic of Texas.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sam_Houston>
1844:
Millerites, including future members of the Seventh-day Adventist
Church, were greatly disappointed that Jesus did not return as
predicted by American preacher William Miller .
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Disappointment>
1934:
Pretty Boy Floyd, an American bank robber and alleged killer who was
later romanticized by the media, was gunned down by Federal Bureau of
Investigation agents near East Liverpool, Ohio.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pretty_Boy_Floyd>
1964:
After the Nobel Committee announced that he had won the Nobel Prize in
Literature, French philosopher and writer Jean-Paul Sartre became the
first Nobel Laureate to voluntarily decline the prize, saying that he
did not wish to be "transformed" by such an award.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean-Paul_Sartre>
2006:
An expansion project to double the Panama Canal's capacity was approved
by Panamanian voters in a national referendum by a wide margin.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panama_Canal_expansion_project>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
engross (v):
1. (law) To write a final copy in large and legible lettering.
2. To monopolize; To concentrate in the single possession of someone,
especially unfairly.
3. To completely engage the attention of
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/engross>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
If you want to change the way people respond to you, change the way you
respond to people.
--Timothy Leary
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Timothy_Leary>