Bill Ponsford (1900–1991) was an Australian cricketer, the only player
to twice break the world record for the highest individual score in
first-class cricket. Predominantly playing as an opening batsman, he
formed a successful and long-lived partnership opening the batting for
Victoria and Australia with Bill Woodfull, his friend and state and
national captain. Aside from Brian Lara, he is the only man to score
400 runs in an innings on two occasions. Ponsford holds the Australian
record for a partnership in Test cricket, set in 1934 in combination
with Don Bradman—the man who broke many of Ponsford's other individual
records. Despite being heavily built, Ponsford was quick on his feet
and renowned as one of the finest ever players of spin bowling. His
bat, much heavier than the norm and nicknamed "Big Bertha", allowed him
to drive powerfully and he possessed a strong cut shot. However,
critics questioned his ability against fast bowling, and the hostile
short-pitched English bowling in the Bodyline series of 1932–33 was a
contributing factor in his early retirement from cricket a year and a
half later.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Ponsford>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1741:
War of the Austrian Succession: Prussia defeated Austria at the Battle
of Mollwitz in present-day Małujowice, Poland, cementing Prussian King
Frederick II's authority over the newly conquered territory of Silesia.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Mollwitz>
1815:
Mount Tambora in Indonesia began one of the most violent volcanic
eruptions in recorded history, killing at least 71,000 people.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Tambora>
1925:
The novel The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald was first published.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Great_Gatsby>
1941:
World War II: The Independent State of Croatia was established, with
Ustaše leader Ante Pavelić as head of the puppet government of the Axis
powers.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ante_Paveli%C4%87>
1971:
In an attempt to thaw Sino-American relations, members of the American
Table Tennis Team entered the People's Republic of China for a weeklong
visit.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ping_Pong_Diplomacy>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
turtle (v):
1. To flip over onto the back or top; to turn upside down.
2. To turn and swim upside down.
3. To hunt in the water
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/turtle>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
It is well that there is no one without a fault; for he would not have
a friend in the world.
--William Hazlitt
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/William_Hazlitt>
Carrington Moss is a large area of peat bog near Carrington in Greater
Manchester, England. It is south of the River Mersey, approximately
10 miles (16 km) south-west of Manchester, and occupies an area of
about 1,100 acres (445 hectares). The depth of peat varies between
17 feet (5 m) and 20 feet (6 m). Originally an unused area of grouse
moorland, the Moss was reclaimed in the latter half of the 19th century
for farming and the disposal of nearby Manchester's waste. A system of
tramways was built to connect the Moss with the Manchester Ship Canal
and a nearby railway line. During World War II the land was used as a
Starfish site, and in the latter half of the 20th century a large
industrial complex was built along its northern edge. More recently
several sporting facilities have been built on Carrington Moss. Today,
the land is still used for farming, and several nature reserves have
been established within its bounds. Parts of the Moss are accessible to
the public over several rights of way.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carrington_Moss>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1865:
With their supply trains destroyed by Union troops one day earlier,
Confederate forces under Robert E. Lee surrendered to Union General
Ulysses S. Grant at the McLean House near the Appomattox Court House in
Virginia, effectively ending the American Civil War.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Appomattox_Courthouse>
1940:
World War II: Nazi Germany began Operation Weserübung, invading Denmark
and Norway.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Weser%C3%BCbung>
1959:
NASA announced the selection of the Mercury Seven , the first
astronauts in Project Mercury.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Mercury>
1989:
An anti-Soviet demonstration in Tbilisi, Georgia, was quashed by the
Soviet army, resulting in 20 deaths and hundreds of injuries.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/April_9_tragedy>
2005:
Charles, Prince of Wales, married his long-time mistress Camilla Parker
Bowles, culminating the controversial romantic relationship between the
two.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wedding_of_Charles%2C_Prince_of_Wales_and_Cami…>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
eddy (n):
A current of air or water running back, or in an opposite direction to,
the main current
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/eddy>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
These tall and handsome ships, swaying imperceptibly on tranquil
waters, these sturdy ships, with their inactive, nostalgic appearance,
don’t they say to us in a speechless tongue: When do we cast off for
happiness?
--Charles Baudelaire
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Charles_Baudelaire>
Temple Sinai is a Reform congregation located at 2808 Summit Street in
Oakland, California. Founded in 1875, it is the oldest Jewish
congregation in the East Bay. Its early members included Gertrude Stein
and Judah Leon Magnes, who studied at Temple Sinai's Sabbath school,
and Ray Frank, who taught them. Originally traditional, under the
leadership of Rabbi Marcus Friedlander (1893–1915) Temple Sinai
reformed its beliefs and practices. By 1914, it had become a Classical
Reform congregation. That year the current sanctuary was built, a
Beaux-Arts structure designed by G. Albert Lansburgh which is the
oldest synagogue in Oakland. The congregation weathered four major
financial crises by 1934. It has since been led by just three rabbis,
William Stern (1934–1965), Samuel Broude (1966–1989), and Steven
Chester (1989–present). In 2006 Temple Sinai embarked on a $15 million
capital campaign to construct an entirely new synagogue campus adjacent
to its current sanctuary. Groundbreaking took place in October 2007,
and by late 2009 the congregation had raised almost $12 million towards
the construction. As of 2010, the Temple Sinai had nearly 1,000 member
families. The rabbis were Steven Chester, Jacqueline Mates-Muchin, and
Andrea Berlin, and the cantor was Ilene Keys.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Temple_Sinai_%28Oakland%2C_California%29>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1093:
Winchester Cathedral at Winchester in Hampshire, one of the largest
cathedrals in England, was dedicated by Bishop Walkelin.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winchester_Cathedral>
1341:
Italian scholar and poet Petrarch
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petrarch>
1886:
British Prime Minister William Gladstone introduced the first Irish
Home Rule Bill into the British House of Commons.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irish_Government_Bill_1886>
1904:
Longacre Square in Midtown Manhattan, New York City was renamed Times
Square after The New York Times building.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Times_Square>
1968:
BOAC Flight 712 suffered an engine fire shortly after take off from
London Heathrow Airport, leading to deaths of five people on board,
including flight attendant Barbara Jane Harrison, who was later awarded
a posthumous George Cross for her heroism during the accident.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BOAC_Flight_712>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
vindictive (adj):
Having or showing a strong or unreasoning desire for revenge
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/vindictive>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Somewhere over the rainbow
Skies are blue
And the dreams that you dare to dream
Really do come
true.
--Yip Harburg
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Yip_Harburg>
SMS Moltke was the lead ship of the Moltke-class battlecruisers of the
German Imperial Navy, named after the 19th century German field marshal
Helmuth von Moltke. Commissioned on 30 September 1911, the ship was the
second battlecruiser built for the Imperial Navy. Moltke, along with
her sister ship Goeben, was an enlarged version of the previous German
battlecruiser design, Von der Tann. The ship was very similar to Von
der Tann, but had increased armor protection and two more main guns in
an additional gun turret. Compared to her British rivals—the
Indefatigable class—Moltke and her sister Goeben were significantly
larger and better armored. The ship participated in most of the major
fleet actions conducted by the German Navy during the First World War,
including the Battles of Dogger Bank and Jutland in the North Sea, and
the Battle of the Gulf of Riga and Operation Albion in the Baltic.
Moltke was damaged several times during the war: the ship was hit by
heavy caliber gunfire at Jutland, and torpedoed twice by British
submarines while on fleet advances. Following the end of the war in
1918, Moltke, along with most of the High Seas Fleet, was interned at
Scapa Flow pending a decision by the Allies as to the fate of the
fleet. The ship met her end when she was scuttled, along with the rest
of the High Seas Fleet, in 1919 to prevent them from falling into
British hands.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SMS_Moltke_%281910%29>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
529:
Byzantine Emperor Justinian I issued the first draft of the Corpus
Juris Civilis, a first attempt to codify Roman law.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corpus_Juris_Civilis>
1348:
King Charles of Bohemia issued a Golden Bull to establish Charles
University in Prague, the first university in Central Europe.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_University_in_Prague>
1805:
German composer Ludwig van Beethoven premiered his Third Symphony, at
the Theater an der Wien in Vienna.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Symphony_No._3_%28Beethoven%29>
1868:
D'Arcy McGee, a Canadian Father of Confederation, was assassinated; to
date, the only Canadian political assassination at the federal level.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/D%27Arcy_McGee>
1945:
World War II: American forces sunk the Japanese battleship Yamato, the
largest battleship in the world, during Operation Ten-Go.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Ten-Go>
1948:
The United Nations established the World Health Organization to act as
a coordinating authority on international public health.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Health_Organization>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
infelicitous (adj):
1. Unhappy or unfortunate.
2. Inappropriate or awkward; not well said, expressed, or done
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/infelicitous>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Great minds are to make others great. Their superiority is to be used,
not to break the multitude to intellectual vassalage, not to establish
over them a spiritual tyranny, but to rouse them from lethargy, and to
aid them to judge for themselves.
--William Ellery Channing
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/William_Ellery_Channing>
The Great American Bash (2005) was a professional wrestling
pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment
(WWE). It was the second such annual event and took place on July 24,
2005, at the HSBC Arena in Buffalo, New York. The event featured
wrestlers and other talent that performed on the SmackDown! program.
The main event was Batista defending the World Heavyweight Championship
against John "Bradshaw" Layfield (JBL). JBL won the match after Batista
was disqualified, but did not win the title because a championship can
only be won via pinfall or submission. One of the featured matches on
the undercard was Rey Mysterio versus Eddie Guerrero, which Mysterio
won by pinfall. The other was Orlando Jordan versus Chris Benoit for
the WWE United States Championship, which Jordan won, also by pinfall.
The event grossed over $375,000 in ticket sales from an attendance of
8,000, and received about 233,000 pay-per-view buys, the same amount as
the following year's event. This enabled WWE's pay-per-view revenue to
increase by $4.7 million from the previous year. When the 2005 event
was released on DVD, it reached a peak position of second on
Billboard's DVD Sales Chart. The event was also available free of
charge for Armed Forces members and their families.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Great_American_Bash_%282005%29>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1652:
Dutch sailor Jan van Riebeeck established the first permanent European
settlement in South Africa at what eventually became known as Cape
Town.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cape_Town>
1782:
Rama I succeeded King Taksin of Siam, founding the Chakri Dynasty.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buddha_Yodfa_Chulaloke>
1830:
Joseph Smith, Jr., Oliver Cowdery, David Whitmer and others formally
organized the Church of Christ, starting the Latter Day Saint movement.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Church_of_Christ_%28Latter_Day_Saints%29>
1896:
The first modern Olympic Games opened in Athens, with 241 athletes from
14 nations participating in 43 events in nine disciplines.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1896_Summer_Olympics>
1994:
The airplane carrying Rwandan President Juvénal Habyarimana and
Burundian President Cyprien Ntaryamira was shot down as it prepared to
land in Kigali, Rwanda, marking the beginning of the Rwandan Genocide.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assassination_of_Habyarimana_and_Ntaryamira>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
spallation (n):
1. Fragmentation due to stress or impact.
2. (physics) A nuclear reaction in which a nucleus fragments into many
nucleons
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/spallation>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Little deeds of kindness,
Little words of love,
Make our pleasant earth below
Like the
heaven above.
--Julia Abigail Fletcher Carney
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Julia_Abigail_Fletcher_Carney>
Józef Piłsudski (1867–1935) was Chief of State (1918–22), "First
Marshal", and authoritarian leader of the Second Polish Republic. From
mid-World War I he was a major influence in Poland's politics, and an
important figure on the European political scene. He is considered
largely responsible for Poland regaining independence in 1918, after
123 years of partitions. Early in his political career, Piłsudski
became a leader of the Polish Socialist Party. Concluding, however,
that Poland's independence would have to be won by force of arms, he
created the Polish Legions. In 1914 he anticipated the outbreak of a
European war, the Russian Empire's defeat by the Central Powers, and
the Central Powers' defeat by the western powers. When World War I
broke out, he and his Legions fought alongside the Austro-Hungarian and
German Empires to ensure Russia's defeat. In 1917, with Russia faring
badly in the war, he withdrew his support from the Central Powers. From
November 1918, when Poland regained independence, until 1922, Piłsudski
was Poland's Chief of State. In 1919–21 he commanded Poland's forces in
the Polish-Soviet War. In 1923, with the Polish government dominated by
his opponents, particularly the National Democrats, he withdrew from
active politics. Three years later he returned to power with the May
1926 coup d'état, and became the de facto dictator of Poland. From then
until his death in 1935, he concerned himself primarily with military
and foreign affairs.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J%C3%B3zef_Pi%C5%82sudski>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1242:
Northern Crusades: In the Battle of the Ice, Novgorod forces led by
Alexander Nevsky rebuffed an invasion attempt by the Teutonic Knights
at Lake Peipus on the present-day border of Estonia and Russia.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_the_Ice>
1614:
Native American Pocahontas married English colonist John Rolfe in
Virginia, and was christened Lady Rebecca.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pocahontas>
1862:
American Civil War: Union Maj. Gen. George B. McClellan's Army of the
Potomac engaged Confederate forces led by Maj. Gen. John B. Magruder at
the Battle of Yorktown in Yorktown, Virginia.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Yorktown_%281862%29>
1976:
The Tiananmen Incident, a protest against the repression of the Chinese
regime nearing the end of the Cultural Revolution, took place in
Tiananmen Square in Beijing.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tiananmen_Incident>
1992:
Bosnian War: Serb gunmen killed two people while firing upon a large
crowd of anti-war protesters in Sarajevo, marking the start of the
four-year-long Siege of Sarajevo.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siege_of_Sarajevo>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
Paschal Lamb (n):
1. (historical) The lamb eaten at Passover.
2. (figuratively) Jesus Christ, symbolized as a sacrifice.
3.
(heraldry) A lamb depicted with nimbus and bearing a flag
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Paschal_Lamb>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
God's own hand
Holds fast all issues of our deeds: with him
The end of all our
ends is, but with us
Our ends are, just or unjust: though our works
Find righteous or
unrighteous judgment, this
At least is ours, to make them righteous.
--Algernon Charles Swinburne
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Algernon_Charles_Swinburne>
Australian Competition and Consumer Commission v Baxter Healthcare was
a decision of the High Court of Australia, which ruled on 29 August
2007 that Baxter Healthcare Pty Limited, a tenderer for various
government contracts, was bound by the Trade Practices Act 1974 (TPA)
(Australian legislation governing anti-competitive behaviour) in its
trade and commerce in tendering for government contracts. More
generally, the case concerned the principles of derivative governmental
immunity: whether the immunity of a government from a statute extends
to third parties that conduct business with the government. The High
Court's judgment marked a successful appeal for the Australian
Competition and Consumer Commission, the Australian regulator of
anti-competitive conduct, having lost at first instance and on appeal
in the Federal Court of Australia. The ACCC was again successful when
the case was remitted to the Federal Court for reconsideration, ending
eight years of litigation between the parties. The High Court's
judgment was received as a significant precedent in the law of
derivative governmental immunity in Australia.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australian_Competition_and_Consumer_Commission…>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1721:
Robert Walpole took office as First Lord of the Treasury, Chancellor of
the Exchequer and Leader of the House of Commons, becoming what would
later be recognised as the first British Prime Minister.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Walpole>
1850:
Los Angeles was incorporated as a municipality, five months before
California achieved U.S. statehood.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Los_Angeles>
1949:
Twelve nations signed the North Atlantic Treaty, creating NATO, an
organization that constitutes a system of collective defense whereby
its member states agree to mutual defense in response to an attack by
any external party.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NATO>
1968:
American civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated
on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee, US.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_Luther_King%2C_Jr._assassination>
1975:
Bill Gates and Paul Allen founded Microsoft in Albuquerque, New Mexico,
US, to develop and sell BASIC interpreters for the Altair 8800.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
witness (v):
1. To furnish proof of, to show.
2. To take as evidence.
3. To see, note, or gain knowledge of.
4.
(with to) To present personal religious testimony
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/witness>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
The first peace, which is the most important, is that which comes
within the souls of people when they realize their relationship, their
oneness, with the universe and all its powers, and when they realize
that at the center of the universe dwells Wakan-Tanka, and that this
center is really everywhere, it is within each of us. This is the real
peace, and the others are but reflections of this. The second peace is
that which is made between two individuals, and the third is that which
is made between two nations. But above all you should understand that
there can never be peace between nations until there is known that true
peace, which, as I have often said, is within the souls of men.
--Black Elk
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Black_Elk>
Jay Pritzker Pavilion is a bandshell in Millennium Park in the Loop
community area of Chicago in Cook County, Illinois, United States. It
is located on the south side of Randolph Street and east of the Chicago
Landmark Historic Michigan Boulevard District. The pavilion was named
after Jay Pritzker of the Pritzker family, known for owning Hyatt
Hotels. The building was designed by architect Frank Gehry, who
accepted the design commission in April 1999; the pavilion was
constructed between June 1999 and July 2004, opening officially on July
16, 2004. Pritzker Pavilion serves as the centerpiece for Millennium
Park and is the new home of the Grant Park Symphony Orchestra and
Chorus and the Grant Park Music Festival, the nation's only remaining
free outdoor classical music series. It also hosts a wide range of
music series and annual performing arts events. Performers ranging from
mainstream rock bands to classical musicians and opera singers have
appeared at the pavilion, which even hosts physical fitness activities
such as yoga. All rehearsals at the pavilion are open to the public.
The construction of the pavilion created a legal controversy, given
that there are historic limitations on the height of buildings in Grant
Park. To avoid these legal restrictions, the city classifies the
bandshell as a work of art rather than a building. With several design
and assembly problems, the construction plans were revised over time,
with features eliminated and others added as successful fundraising
allowed the budget to grow. In the end, the performance venue was
designed with a large fixed seating area, a Great Lawn, a trellis
network to support the sound system and a signature Gehry stainless
steel headdress.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jay_Pritzker_Pavilion>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1043:
Edward the Confessor was crowned King of England.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_the_Confessor>
1882:
Jesse James, an outlaw in the American Old West, was shot in the back
and killed for a bounty of US$5,000.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jesse_James>
1895:
The libel trial instigated by Irish author Oscar Wilde began,
eventually resulting in Wilde's arrest, trial and imprisonment on
charges of homosexuality.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oscar_Wilde>
1948:
The Marshall Plan , an economic recovery program established by U.S.
Secretary of State George Marshall to assist the post-World War II
re-building of Europe, was signed into law.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marshall_Plan>
1996:
A U.S. Air Force CT-43 crashed into a mountainside while attempting an
instrument approach to Dubrovnik Airport in Dubrovnik, Croatia, killing
U.S. Secretary of Commerce Ron Brown and all the other 34 people on
board.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1996_Croatia_USAF_CT-43_crash>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
potentate (n):
A powerful leader; a monarch, ruler
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/potentate>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
If you have accomplished all that you have planned for yourself, you
have not planned enough.
--Edward Everett Hale
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Edward_Everett_Hale>
Anna Anderson (1896–1984) was the best known of several impostors who
claimed to be Grand Duchess Anastasia of Russia. The real Anastasia,
the youngest daughter of the last Tsar and Tsarina of Russia, Nicholas
II and Alexandra, was murdered with her parents and siblings on 17 July
1918 by Bolsheviks in Ekaterinburg, Russia, but the location of her
body was unknown. In 1920, Anderson was institutionalized in a mental
hospital after a suicide attempt in Berlin. At first, she went by the
name Fräulein Unbekannt (German for Miss Unknown) as she refused to
reveal her identity. Later she used the name Tschaikovsky and then
Anderson. In March 1922, claims that Anderson was a Russian grand
duchess first received public attention. Most members of Grand Duchess
Anastasia's family and those who had known her, including court tutor
Pierre Gilliard, said Anderson was an impostor, but others were
convinced she was Anastasia. In 1927, a private investigation funded by
the Tsarina's brother, Ernest Louis, Grand Duke of Hesse, identified
Anderson as Franziska Schanzkowska, a Polish factory worker with a
history of mental illness. Upon her death in 1984, Anderson's body was
cremated, and her ashes were buried in the churchyard at Castle Seeon,
Germany. After the collapse of Communism, the locations of the bodies
of the Tsar, Tsarina and all five of their children were revealed and
multiple laboratories in different countries confirmed their identity
through DNA testing. DNA tests on a lock of Anderson's hair and
surviving medical samples of her tissue showed that Anderson's DNA did
not match the Romanov remains or living relatives of the Romanovs.
Instead, Anderson's mitochondrial DNA matched that of Karl Maucher, a
great-nephew of Franziska Schanzkowska. Scientists, historians, and
major news agencies accept that Anderson was Schanzkowska.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anna_Anderson>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1513:
Spanish conquistador Juan Ponce de León set foot on Florida, becoming
the first European known to do so, purportedly while searching for the
Fountain of Youth in the New World.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juan_Ponce_de_Le%C3%B3n>
1801:
War of the Second Coalition: British forces led by Vice Admiral Horatio
Nelson defeated the Dano-Norwegian fleet at the Battle of Copenhagen
off the coast of Copenhagen.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Copenhagen_%281801%29>
1956:
As the World Turns premiered on American television as the first
half-hour soap opera .
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/As_the_World_Turns>
1982:
Argentine special forces invaded the Falkland Islands, sparking the
Falklands War.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1982_invasion_of_the_Falkland_Islands>
2002:
Operation Defensive Shield: Approximately 200 Palestinians fled
advancing Israeli forces into the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem,
starting a month-long standoff.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siege_of_the_Church_of_the_Nativity_in_Bethleh…>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
antsy (adj):
Restless, apprehensive and fidgety
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/antsy>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Truth is on the march, and nothing will stop it.
--Émile Zola
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/%C3%89mile_Zola>
Wife selling was a traditional English practice for ending an
unsatisfactory marriage. Instead of dealing with an expensive and
dragged-out divorce, a husband would take his wife to market and parade
her with a halter around her neck, arm, or waist, before publicly
auctioning her to the highest bidder. Any children from the marriage
might also be sold along with their mother. Prices paid for wives
varied considerably, from a high of £100 (plus £25 each for her two
children), to a low of a glass of ale, or even free. The Duke of
Chandos bought his second wife at one such sale in Newbury in about
1744. Along with other English customs, wife selling was exported to
England's American colonies, where one man sold his wife for "two
dollars and half [a] dozen bowls of grogg". Husbands were sometimes
sold by their wives in a similar manner, but much less frequently. Wife
selling persisted in some form into the early 20th century, as general
attitudes began to shift to the benefit of divorce lawyers.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wife_selling>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1293:
Robert Winchelsey left England for Rome to be consecrated by the Pope,
only to find that there was none.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Winchelsey>
1789:
Frederick Muhlenberg became the first person to qualify under the
United States Constitution's strict mandate of what defines a head of
the household for U.S. government purposes.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Speaker_of_the_United_States_House_of_Represen…>
1955:
Groups of Cypriots began a massive, nationwide campaign to exchange
British yokes and other goods and services for Greek ones.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EOKA>
1970:
The first of over 670,000 gremlins were released into North America to
crush foreign imported machines.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AMC_Gremlin>
1976:
Apple Computer was originally founded to sell "do-it-yourself" kits .
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_Inc.>
2002:
The Netherlands became the first country to approve medical treatments
that provide permanent pain relief from all known human diseases and
disorders.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Euthanasia_in_the_Netherlands>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
foolscap (n):
1. (strictly) Writing paper sheets measuring 13.25 x 16.5 inches
2. (more usually) Such a sheet folded or cut in half, thus
approximately 8 x 13.25 inches
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/foolscap>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Very many maintain that all we know is still infinitely less than all
that still remains unknown; nor do philosophers pin their faith to
others' precepts in such wise that they lose their liberty, and cease
to give credence to the conclusions of their proper senses. Neither do
they swear such fealty to their mistress Antiquity that they openly,
and in sight of all, deny and desert their friend Truth.
--William Harvey
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/William_Harvey>