Georges Vézina (1887–1926) was a Canadian professional ice hockey
goaltender who played seven seasons in the National Hockey Association
(NHA) and nine in the National Hockey League (NHL), all with the
Montreal Canadiens. After being signed by the Canadiens in 1910, Vézina
played in 327 consecutive regular season games and 39 playoff games,
before leaving a game in 1925 due to illness. Vézina was diagnosed with
tuberculosis, and died in 1926. The only goaltender to play for the
Canadiens between 1910 and 1925, Vézina helped the team win the Stanley
Cup in 1916 and 1924, while reaching the Finals three more times.
Nicknamed the "Chicoutimi Cucumber" for his calm composure, Vézina
allowed the fewest goals against in the league seven times in his
career: four times in the NHA and three times in the NHL. In 1918,
Vézina became the first NHL goaltender to both record a shutout and
earn an assist on a goal. At the start of the 1926–27 NHL season, the
Canadiens donated the Vezina Trophy to the NHL as an award to the
goaltender who allowed the fewest goals during the season. When the
Hockey Hall of Fame opened in 1945, Vézina was one of the original
twelve inductees.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Georges_V%C3%A9zina>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1225:
Eight-year-old Lý Chiêu Hoàng, the only empress regnant in the history
of Vietnam, married Tran Thai Tong, making him the first emperor of the
the Tran Dynasty at age seven.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/L%C3%BD_Chi%C3%AAu_Ho%C3%A0ng>
1857:
Queen Victoria selected Ottawa, then a small logging town, to be the
capital of the British colony of Canada.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ottawa>
1907:
Times Square in New York City held its first New Year's Eve
celebrations with the ball drop .
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Times_Square>
1963:
Despite Prime Minister Roy Welensky's efforts, the Central African
Federation officially collapsed, splitting into three separate nations:
Zambia, Malawi and Rhodesia.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roy_Welensky>
1998:
The European Exchange Rate Mechanism froze the values of the legacy
currencies in the Eurozone and established the value of the euro
currency.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/euro>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
ancillary (adj):
Subordinate; secondary; auxiliary; accessory
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/ancillary>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
The only way human beings can win a war is to prevent it.
--George Marshall
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/George_Marshall>
The Laplace–Runge–Lenz vector is a vector used chiefly to describe the
shape and orientation of the orbit of one astronomical body around
another, such as a planet revolving around a sun. For two bodies
interacting by Newtonian gravity, the LRL vector is a constant of
motion, meaning that it is the same no matter where it is calculated on
the orbit; equivalently, the LRL vector is said to be conserved. More
generally, the LRL vector is conserved in all problems in which two
bodies interact by a central force that varies as the inverse square of
the distance between them; such problems are called Kepler problems.
The hydrogen atom is a Kepler problem, since it comprises two charged
particles interacting by Coulomb's law of electrostatics, another
inverse square central force. The LRL vector was essential in the first
quantum mechanical derivation of the spectrum of the hydrogen atom,
before the development of the Schrödinger equation. The
Laplace–Runge–Lenz vector is named after Pierre-Simon de Laplace, Carle
Runge and Wilhelm Lenz. The LRL vector has been re-discovered several
times and is also equivalent to the dimensionless eccentricity vector
of celestial mechanics. Various generalizations of the LRL vector have
been defined, which incorporate the effects of special relativity,
electromagnetic fields and even different types of central forces.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laplace%E2%80%93Runge%E2%80%93Lenz_vector>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1916:
Emperor Charles I of Austria and Empress Zita were coronated as the
last King and Queen of Hungary.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coronation_of_the_Hungarian_monarch>
1924:
Astronomer Edwin Hubble announced that Andromeda, previously believed
to be a nebula, is actually another galaxy, and that the Milky Way is
only one of many such galaxies in the universe.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edwin_Hubble>
1947:
Michael, King of Romania, was forced to abdicate as the Kingdom of
Romania became Communist Romania.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_of_Romania>
2000:
A series of bombings occurred around Metro Manila in the Philippines
within a span of a few hours, killing 22 people and injuring 100
others.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rizal_Day_bombings>
2005:
Tropical Storm Zeta was declared a tropical depression, making it the
record-breaking thirtieth tropical cyclone of the 2005 Atlantic
hurricane season, the most active in recorded history.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tropical_Storm_Zeta>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
monochrome (n):
1. A black and white image, especially a photograph.
2. A ceramic glaze of a single colour, or an object so glazed.
3.
<span class="qualifier-brac">(</span><span
class="qualifier-content">dated</span><span
class="qualifier-brac">)</span> A painting executed in shades of a
single colour
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/monochrome>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Justice has nothing to do with victor nations and vanquished nations,
but must be a moral standard that all the world's peoples can agree to.
To seek this and to achieve it — that is true civilization.
--Hideki Tojo
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Hideki_Tojo>
Laurence of Canterbury was the second Archbishop of Canterbury. He was
a member of the Gregorian mission sent from Italy to England to convert
the Anglo-Saxons to Christianity, although the date of his arrival is
disputed. He was consecrated archbishop by his predecessor, Augustine
of Canterbury, in order to ensure continuity in the office. He
attempted unsuccessfully to resolve differences with the native British
bishops by corresponding with them about points of dispute. Laurence
faced a crisis following the death of King Æthelberht of Kent, as the
king's son and successor, Eadbald, had not embraced Christianity; he
eventually converted. Laurence was revered as a saint after his death
in 619.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laurence_of_Canterbury>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1170:
Archbishop of Canterbury Thomas Becket was slain in his own cathedral
by four knights of Henry II of England.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Becket>
1891:
Physical education teacher James Naismith introduced a game in
Springfield, Massachusetts, US, with thirteen rules and nine players on
each team that he called "Basket Ball".
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_basketball>
1959:
Physicist Richard Feynman gave a speech entitled "There's Plenty of
Room at the Bottom", which is considered the birth of nanotechnology.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/There%27s_Plenty_of_Room_at_the_Bottom>
1992:
President of Brazil Fernando Collor de Mello resigned in an attempt to
stop his impeachment proceedings from continuing, but the Senate of
Brazil continued anyway, finding him guilty.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fernando_Collor_de_Mello>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
impetuous (adj):
1. Making arbitrary decisions, especially in an impulsive and forceful
manner.
2. Characterized by sudden and violent force
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/impetuous>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
If your daily life seems poor, do not blame it; blame yourself, tell
yourself that you are not poet enough to call forth its riches.
--Rainer Maria Rilke
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Rainer_Maria_Rilke>
The Lince was a Spanish main battle tank development program during the
late 1980s and early 1990s. It was intended to replace the Spanish
Army's M47 and M48 Patton tanks which it received through a military
assistance program between 1954 and 1975. The Lince was also intended
to complement the AMX-30E tanks manufactured for the Army during the
1970s. Focusing on mobility and firepower, the Lince program put
secondary priority on protection and aimed for a tank lighter and
faster than its competitors. The vehicle's size was also restricted by
the Spanish railroad and highway network. To achieve a sufficient level
of firepower and protection, given the size requirements, the Lince was
to use Rheinmetall's 120 mm L/44 tank-gun and German composite armor
from the Leopard 2A4. The Spanish government decided to upgrade its
AMX-30Es in the late 1980s, which distracted attention from the
program. The Lince was eventually canceled in 1990 when Spain adopted a
large number of North American M60 Patton tanks retired from Europe in
accordance with the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lince_%28tank%29>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1768:
Taksin the Great was crowned king of the newly established Thonburi
Kingdom in the new capital at Thonburi, present-day Thailand.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taksin>
1908:
A magnitude 7.2 earthquake and subsequent tsunami struck Messina,
Italy, killing over 100,000.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1908_Messina_earthquake>
1918:
Irishwoman Constance Markiewicz became the first woman Member of
Parliament elected to the British House of Commons.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constance_Markiewicz>
1943:
World War II: After eight days of brutal house-to-house fighting, the
1st Canadian Infantry Division captured the Italian town of Ortona.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Ortona>
2009:
A suicide bomber killed 43 in Karachi, Pakistan, during a procession on
the Day of Ashura, the holiest of days for followers of Shia Islam.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2009_Karachi_bombing>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
fiddle (v):
1. To play aimlessly.
2. To adjust in order to cover a basic flaw or fraud etc.
3. To play
the violin
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/fiddle>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
At terrestrial temperatures matter has complex properties which are
likely to prove most difficult to unravel; but it is reasonable to hope
that in the not too distant future we shall be competent to understand
so simple a thing as a star.
--Arthur Stanley Eddington
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Arthur_Stanley_Eddington>
The Lincoln cent is a cent coin (or penny) which has been struck by the
United States Mint since 1909. The obverse or heads side was designed
by Victor David Brenner, as was the original reverse. The coin has seen
several reverse, or tails designs, and now bears one by Lyndall Bass
depicting a Union shield. In 1905, sculptor Augustus Saint-Gaudens was
hired by the Mint to redesign the cent and the four gold coins, which
did not require congressional approval. Two of Saint-Gaudens's proposed
designs for the cent were eventually adapted for the gold pieces, but
Saint-Gaudens died in August 1907 before submitting additional designs
for the cent. In January 1909, the Mint engaged Brenner to design a
cent depicting the late President Abraham Lincoln. Brenner's design was
eventually approved, and the new coins were issued to great public
interest on August 2, 1909. Brenner's initials, on the reverse at its
base, were deemed too prominent once the coins were issued, and were
removed within days of the release. The initials were restored, this
time on Lincoln's shoulder, in 1918. The coin was struck in steel in
1943 to aid in the war effort. Brenner's reverse was replaced in 1959
by a depiction of the Lincoln Memorial by Frank Gasparro. The Lincoln
Memorial reverse was itself replaced in 2009 by commemorative designs
marking the bicentennial of Lincoln's birth. Beginning in 2010, Bass's
shield design was coined.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lincoln_cent>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1657:
Citizens of New Netherland presented the Flushing Remonstrance to
Director-General Peter Stuyvesant, requesting an exemption to his ban
on Quaker worship.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flushing_Remonstrance>
1922:
The Imperial Japanese Navy commissioned Hōshō , the world's first
purpose-built aircraft carrier.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_aircraft_carrier_H%C5%8Dsh%C5%8D>
1949:
Indonesian National Revolution: Queen Juliana of the Netherlands signed
papers that relinquished sovereignty of most of the Dutch East Indies,
officially recognising the independence of Indonesia.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indonesian_National_Revolution>
1978:
Juan Carlos I of Spain promulgated a new constitution after it was
passed by a referendum on December 6, marking the culmination of the
Spanish transition to democracy.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spanish_Constitution_of_1978>
2004:
Radiation from an explosion on the magnetar SGR 1806-20 reached Earth,
the most magnetic object ever perceived by mankind, with a magnetic
field of over 1015 gauss in intensity.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SGR_1806-20>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
inexorably (adv):
In an inexorable manner; without the possibility of stopping or
preventing
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/inexorably>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Science knows no country, because knowledge belongs to humanity, and is
the torch which illuminates the world.
--Louis Pasteur
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Louis_Pasteur>
Lindow Man is the name given to the preserved bog body of a man
discovered in a peat bog at Lindow Moss, Cheshire, North West England.
The body was found on 1 August 1984 by commercial peat-cutters. Lindow
Man is not the only bog body to have been found in the moss; Lindow
Woman was discovered the year before, and other body parts have been
recovered. The find, described as "one of the most significant
archaeological discoveries of the 1980s", caused a media sensation. It
helped invigorate study of British bog bodies, which had previously
been neglected in comparison to those found in the rest of Europe.
Lindow Man was a healthy male in his mid-20s. He may have been someone
of high status, as his body shows little evidence of heavy or rough
work. There has been debate over the reason for Lindow Man's death. The
nature of his demise was violent, perhaps ritualistic; after a last
meal of charred bread, Lindow Man was strangled, hit on the head, and
his throat cut. Dating the body has proven problematic, but it is
thought that Lindow Man was deposited into Lindow Moss, face down, some
time during the 1st century AD. The body has been preserved by
freeze-drying and is on permanent display at the British Museum,
although it occasionally travels to other venues such as Manchester
Museum.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lindow_Man>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1806:
War of the Fourth Coalition: French troops under Napoleon engaged
Russian forces in both the Battles of Pultusk and Golymin.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Pu%C5%82tusk>
1871:
Thespis, the first comic opera by Gilbert and Sullivan, made its debut
at the Gaiety Theatre in London, UK.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thespis_%28opera%29>
1908:
Boxer Jack Johnson became the first African American Heavyweight
Champion of the World after defeating Canadian Tommy Burns in Sydney.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_Johnson_%28boxer%29>
1975:
The Tupolev Tu-144, the first commercial aircraft to surpass Mach 2,
went into service.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tupolev_Tu-144>
2006:
The Hengchun earthquake struck off the southwest coast of Taiwan,
coincidentally on the second anniversary of the 2004 Indian Ocean
earthquake that devastated the coastal communities across Southeast and
South Asia, and on the third anniversary of the 2003 Bam earthquake
that destroyed areas of southeastern Iran.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2006_Hengchun_earthquake>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
supernal (adj):
1. Pertaining to heaven or to the sky; celestial.
2. Exalted, exquisite, superlative
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/supernal>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
The obstacles to peace are in the minds and hearts of men.
In the study of matter we can be honest, impartial, true. That is why
we succeed in dealing with it. But about the things we care for — which
are ourselves, our desires and lusts, our patriotisms and hates — we
find a harder test of thinking straight and truly. Yet there is the
greater need. Only by intellectual rectitude and in that field shall we
be saved. There is no refuge but in truth, in human intelligence, in
the unconquerable mind of man.
--Norman Angell
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Norman_Angell>
Lemurs are strepsirrhine primates found only on the island of
Madagascar. They are named after the lemures (ghosts or spirits) of
Roman mythology due to the ghostly vocalizations, reflective eyes, and
the nocturnal habits of some species. Although lemurs often are
confused with ancestral primates, the anthropoid primates (monkeys,
apes, and humans) did not evolve from them. Their brain-to-body size
ratio is smaller than that of anthropoid primates, and among many other
traits they share with other strepsirrhine primates, they have a "wet
nose" (rhinarium). Lemurs arrived in Madagascar around 62 to 65 mya by
rafting on mats of vegetation at a time when ocean currents favored
oceanic dispersal to the island. Since that time, lemurs have evolved
to cope with an extremely seasonal environment and their adaptations
give them a level of diversity that rivals that of all other primate
groups. Until shortly after humans arrived on the island around 2,000
years ago, there were lemurs as large as a male gorilla. Today, there
are nearly 100 species of lemurs, however, lemur taxonomic
classification is controversial. Many lemur species are threatened with
extinction due to habitat loss and hunting. Although local traditions
generally help protect lemurs and their forests, illegal logging,
widespread poverty, and political instability hinder and undermine
conservation efforts.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lemur>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1066:
William the Conqueror, Duke of Normandy, was crowned King of England at
Westminster Abbey, completing the Norman Conquest, the last successful
foreign conquest of England.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_the_Conqueror>
1643:
Captain William Mynors of the East India Company vessel, the Royal
Mary, landed at an uninhabited island and named it Christmas Island.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christmas_Island>
1927:
The Vietnamese Nationalist Party, a revolutionary socialist political
party that sought independence from French colonial rule in Vietnam,
was formed in Hanoi.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viet_Nam_Quoc_Dan_Dang>
1989:
Romanian Revolution: Dictator Nicolae Ceauşescu and his wife Elena were
condemned to death and executed under a wide range of charges.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicolae_Ceau%C5%9Fescu>
2000:
Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a bill into law that officially
established a new National Anthem of Russia (listen at right), with
music adopted from the anthem of the Soviet Union that was composed by
Alexander Vasilyevich Alexandrov.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Anthem_of_Russia>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
chiliasm (n):
Belief in an earthly thousand-year period of peace and prosperity,
sometimes equated with the return of Jesus for that period
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/chiliasm>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
How many observe Christ's birthday! How few, his precepts! O! 'tis
easier to keep holidays than commandments.
--Benjamin Franklin
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Benjamin_Franklin>
"Road to the Multiverse" is the first episode of the eighth season of
the animated comedy series Family Guy. Directed by Greg Colton and
written by Wellesley Wild, the episode originally aired on Fox in the
United States on September 27, 2009. In "Road to the Multiverse", two
of the show's main characters, baby Stewie and anthropomorphic dog
Brian, who are voiced by series creator Seth MacFarlane (pictured), use
an "out-of-this-world" remote control to travel through a series of
various parallel universes. They eventually end up in a world where
dogs rule and humans obey. This causes Brian to become reluctant to
return home to his own universe, and he ultimately ends up breaking the
remote, much to the dismay of Stewie, who soon seeks a replacement. The
"Road to" episodes which have aired throughout various seasons of
Family Guy were inspired by the Road to ... comedy films starring Bing
Crosby, Bob Hope and Dorothy Lamour, though this episode was not
originally conceived as a "Road to" show. Critical responses to the
episode were mostly positive; critics praised its storyline, numerous
cultural references, and its use of various animation styles.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Road_to_the_Multiverse>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1294:
Boniface VIII began his papacy, replacing St. Celestine V, the only
Pope ever to have resigned.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Boniface_VIII>
1818:
"Silent Night", a Christmas carol by Josef Mohr and Franz Gruber, was
first performed in a church in Austria.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silent_Night>
1914:
British and German soldiers interrupted World War I to celebrate
Christmas, beginning the Christmas truce.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christmas_truce>
1964:
The Viet Cong bombed the Brinks Hotel in Saigon, killing two US Army
officers, raising fears of an escalation in the Vietnam War.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1964_Brinks_Hotel_bombing>
1979:
Ariane 1 , the first launch vehicle to be developed by the European
Space Agency, had its first launch.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ariane_1>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
unobtrusively (adv):
In an unobtrusive manner; in a manner that is not noticeable or blatant
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/unobtrusively>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
People become really quite remarkable when they start thinking that
they can do things. When they believe in themselves they have the first
secret of success.
--Norman Vincent Peale
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Norman_Vincent_Peale>
The Volcano is the name given to a small cinder cone in the Boundary
Ranges of the Coast Mountains in northwestern British Columbia, Canada.
It is located about 60 km (37 mi) northwest of the small community of
Stewart near the head of Lava Fork. With a summit elevation of 1,330 m
(4,360 ft) and a topographic prominence of 311 m (1,020 ft), it rises
above the surrounding rugged landscape on a remote mountain ridge that
represents the northern flank of a glaciated U-shaped valley. Lava Fork
volcano, as The Volcano is also known, is associated with a small group
of related volcanoes called the Iskut-Unuk River Cones. This forms part
of the much larger Northern Cordilleran Volcanic Province, which
extends from the Alaska–Yukon border to near Prince Rupert, British
Columbia. Eruptive activity at The Volcano is relatively young compared
to most other volcanoes in the Northern Cordilleran Volcanic Province.
Geologic studies have shown that The Volcano and its eruptive products
were emplaced in the past 400 years. This is well after the last
glacial period, which ended about 10,000 years ago.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Volcano_%28British_Columbia%29>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
962:
Byzantine–Arab Wars: Under the future Emperor Nicephorus Phocas,
Byzantine troops stormed the city of Aleppo.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Byzantine%E2%80%93Arab_Wars_%28780%E2%80%93118…>
1823:
A Visit from St. Nicholas, also known as The Night Before Christmas,
was first published anonymously. Authorship was later attributed to
Clement Clarke Moore .
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Visit_from_St._Nicholas>
1954:
Drs. Joseph Murray and J. Hartwell Harrison performed the first
successful kidney transplant.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/kidney_transplantation>
1957:
Ian Craig of Australia became the youngest Test cricket captain in
history.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ian_Craig>
1990:
About eighty-eight percent of the population in Slovenia voted to
secede from the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Slovenia>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
dulse (n):
A seaweed of a reddish-brown color (Palmaria palmata) which is
sometimes eaten
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/dulse>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
"Heaven helps those who help themselves" is a well-tried maxim,
embodying in a small compass the results of vast human experience. The
spirit of self-help is the root of all genuine growth in the
individual; and, exhibited in the lives of many, it constitutes the
true source of national vigour and strength. Help from without is often
enfeebling in its effects, but help from within invariably invigorates.
Whatever is done for men or classes, to a certain extent takes away the
stimulus and necessity of doing for themselves; and where men are
subjected to over-guidance and over-government, the inevitable tendency
is to render them comparatively helpless.
--Samuel Smiles
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Samuel_Smiles>
SMS Erzherzog Franz Ferdinand was an Austro-Hungarian Radetzky class
pre-dreadnought battleship commissioned into the Austro-Hungarian Navy
on 5 June 1910. Although SMS Erzherzog Franz Ferdinand was laid down
and commissioned after the launching of the HMS Dreadnought in 1906,
her design was begun before and had the characteristics of a
Pre-Dreadnought battleship rather than later Post-Dreadnought
battleships. She was named after Archduke Franz Ferdinand. The first
ship of her class to be built, she preceded Radetzky by more than six
months. Her armament included four 30.5 cm (12 in) guns in two twin
turrets, and eight 24 cm (9.4 in) guns in four twin turrets. She
participated in an international naval protest of the Balkan Wars in
1913, during which she helped enforce a blockade of Montenegro. She
also was one of the first ships to deploy seaplanes for military use.
During World War I, she saw limited service in the 2nd Division of the
1st Battle Squadron, including mobilization to assist the escape of the
German ships SMS Goeben and SMS Breslau and the bombardment of Ancona
in 1915.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SMS_Erzherzog_Franz_Ferdinand>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1808:
German composer Ludwig van Beethoven premiered his Fifth Symphony,
currently one of the most popular and well-known compositions in all of
European classical music, at the Theater an der Wien in Vienna.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Symphony_No._5_%28Beethoven%29>
1885:
Itō Hirobumi , a samurai from Chōshū, became the first Prime Minister
of Japan.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/It%C5%8D_Hirobumi>
1984:
While riding a New York City Subway train, Bernhard Goetz shot four
African American youths who attempted to rob him, sparking a nationwide
debate on vigilantism, racism, and the legal limits of self-defense.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bernhard_Goetz>
1990:
The Parliament of Croatia adopted the country's current constitution.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constitution_of_Croatia>
2001:
Richard Reid unsuccessfully attempted to detonate a bomb in his shoe on
a transatlantic flight from Paris, France, to Miami, Florida, US.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Reid_%28shoe_bomber%29>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
altruistic (adj):
Regardful of others; beneficent; unselfish
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/altruistic>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
That's the thing with magic. You've got to know it's still here, all
around us, or it just stays invisible for you.
--Charles de Lint
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Charles_de_Lint>