Benjamin Morrell (1795–1839) was an American sealing captain and
explorer who between 1823 and 1831 made a series of voyages, mainly to
the Southern Ocean and the Pacific Islands. Morrell's reputation among
his peers was for untruth and fantasy. Claims in his partly
ghost-written memoir, A Narrative of Four Voyages, especially those
relating to his Antarctic experiences, have been disputed by
geographers and historians. After running away to sea at the age of 16
and being twice captured and imprisoned by the British during the War
of 1812, Morrell sailed before the mast for several years and
subsequently became captain of the sealer Wasp. In 1823 he took Wasp
for an extended voyage into sub-Antarctic waters, and it was from this
first of four voyages that much of the controversy surrounding his
reputation developed. Many of his claims—the first landing on Bouvet
Island, a Weddell Sea penetration to 70°S, an extremely rapid passage
of 3,500 miles (5,600 km) at improbably high latitudes, and the
discovery of a coastline he named New South Greenland—have been doubted
or proved false. His subsequent three voyages, in other ships, were
less contentious, although his descriptions of various incidents have
been dismissed as fanciful or absurd. He is believed to have died in
1839 of a fever contracted in Portuguese East Africa.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benjamin_Morrell>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
636:
Rashidun Caliphate forces led by Khalid ibn al-Walid took control of
Syria and Palestine in the Battle of Yarmouk, marking the first great
wave of Muslim conquests after the death of Muhammad.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Yarmouk>
1794:
American troops defeated the Western Confederacy, a Native American
alliance, at the Battle of Fallen Timbers, the decisive battle of the
Northwest Indian War.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Fallen_Timbers>
1882:
Russian composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture was first
performed at the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour in Moscow.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1812_Overture>
1977:
NASA's Voyager 2 lifted off from Cape Canaveral in Florida, on a
mission to explore the outer planets of the Solar System.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voyager_2>
1989:
The final stage of the O-Bahn Busway in Adelaide, South Australia, was
completed, becoming the world's longest and fastest guided busway with
buses travelling a total of 12 km (7.5 mi) at maximum speeds up to
100 km/h (62 mph).
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/O-Bahn_Busway>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
buxom (adj):
1. (of a woman) Having a full, voluptuous figure, now especially
possessing large breasts.
2. (archaic) Cheerful, healthy and lively, happy
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/buxom>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Science traditionally takes the reductionist approach, saying that the
collective properties of molecules, or the fundamental units of
whatever system you're talking about, are enough to account for all of
the system's activity. But this standard approach leaves out one very
important additional factor, and that's the spacing and timing of
activity — its pattern or form.
--Roger Wolcott Sperry
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Roger_Wolcott_Sperry>
Constantine II of Scotland was an early King of Scotland, known then by
the Gaelic name Alba. His reign, like those of his predecessors, was
dominated by the actions of Viking rulers in Britain and Ireland,
particularly the Uí Ímair. During Constantine's reign, the rulers of
the southern kingdoms of Wessex and Mercia, later the kingdom of
England, extended their authority northwards into the disputed kingdoms
of Northumbria. At first allied with the southern rulers against the
Vikings, Constantine in time came into conflict with them. King
Æthelstan secured Constantine's submission in 927 and 934, but the two
again fought when Constantine, allied with the Strathclyde Britons and
the Viking king of Dublin, invaded Æthelstan's kingdom in 937, only to
be defeated at the great battle of Brunanburh. In 943 Constantine
abdicated the throne and retired to the Céli Dé monastery of St Andrews
where he died in 952. His reign of 43 years, exceeded in Scotland only
by that of King William the Lion before the Union of the Crowns in
1603, is believed to have played a defining part in the gaelicisation
of Pictland in which his patronage of the Irish Céli Dé monastic
reformers was a significant factor. During his reign the words "Scots"
and "Scotland" (Old English: Scottas, Scotland) were first used to mean
part of what is now Scotland.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constantine_II_of_Scotland>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1612:
The "Samlesbury witches", three women from the Lancashire village of
Samlesbury, England, were put on trial, accused for practising
witchcraft, one of the most famous witch trials in English history.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samlesbury_witches>
1782:
American Revolutionary War: Ten months after the British surrender at
the Siege of Yorktown, a combined force of British rangers and American
Indians routed Kentucky militiamen at the Battle of Blue Licks.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Blue_Licks>
1942:
World War II: Allied forces suffered over 3,000 casualties when they
unsuccessfully raided the German-occupied port of Dieppe, France.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dieppe_Raid>
1991:
During a Soviet coup attempt led by Gennady Yanayev and other top level
government officials, it was announced to the public that Mikhail
Gorbachev had been relieved of his duties as President "due to
illness".
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1991_Soviet_coup_d%27%C3%A9tat_attempt>
2003:
A car bomb destroyed the United Nations headquarters at Baghdad's Canal
Hotel, killing Brazilian diplomat Sérgio Vieira de Mello and 21 others.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canal_Hotel_bombing>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
unblouse (v):
(military) To untuck (leggings from footwear); to make (pants or
trousers) unrestricted or untightened at the ankle
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/unblouse>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Let those find fault whose wit's so very small,
They've need to show that they can think at all;
Errors, like
straws, upon the surface flow;
He who would search for pearls, must dive below.
--John Dryden
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/John_Dryden>
Osteochondritis dissecans (OCD) is a joint disorder in which cracks
form in the articular cartilage and the underlying subchondral bone. It
is caused by blood deprivation in the subchondral bone, which leads to
death of subchondral bone tissues in a process called avascular
necrosis. The bone is then reabsorbed by the body, leaving the
articular cartilage it supported prone to damage. The result is
fragmentation of both cartilage and bone, and the free movement of
these osteochondral fragments within the joint space, causing pain and
further damage. In humans, OCD is a rare disease, occurring in only 15
to 30 people per 100,000 in the general population each year. Although
rare, it is an important cause of joint pain in physically active
adolescents. As their bones are still growing, adolescents are more
likely than adults to recover from OCD, attributable to the growing
bone's ability to repair damaged or dead bone tissue and cartilage in a
process called bone remodeling. While OCD may affect any joint, the
knee tends to be the most commonly affected, and constitutes 75% of all
cases.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Osteochondritis_dissecans>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1868:
Astronomer Pierre Janssen discovered helium while analyzing the
chromosphere of the sun during a total solar eclipse in Guntur, India.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/helium>
1877:
Asaph Hall discovered Phobos , the larger of Mars' two moons, six days
after discovering Deimos, the other one.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phobos_%28moon%29>
1920:
The Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution was
ratified, guaranteeing women's suffrage in that country.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Women%27s_suffrage_in_the_United_States>
1948:
Australia completed a 4–0 Ashes series win, earning them the nickname
of "The Invincibles" for being the first Test cricket match side to
play an entire tour of England without losing a match.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fifth_Test%2C_1948_Ashes_series>
1966:
Vietnam War: Members from D Company of the 6th Battalion of the Royal
Australian Regiment were surrounded and attacked on all sides by a much
larger Viet Cong unit at the Battle of Long Tan, but held them off for
several hours until reinforcements arrived.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/6th_Battalion%2C_Royal_Australian_Regiment>
1989:
Leading Colombian presidential hopeful Luis Carlos Galán was
assassinated during a public demonstration in the town of Soacha,
Cundinamarca.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luis_Carlos_Gal%C3%A1n>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
ness (n):
(geography) A promontory; a cape or headland
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/ness>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Tho' the world could turn from you,
This, at least, I learn from you:
Beauty and Truth, tho' never
found, are worthy to be sought,
The singer, upward-springing,
Is grander than his singing,
And
tranquil self-sufficing joy illumes the dark of thought.
--Robert Williams Buchanan
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Robert_Williams_Buchanan>
John Whittle (1882–1946) was an Australian recipient of the Victoria
Cross, the highest decoration for gallantry "in the face of the enemy"
that can be awarded to members of the British and Commonwealth armed
forces. Whittle was serving as a sergeant in the First World War when
he was decorated with the Victoria Cross following two separate actions
against German forces during their retreat to the Hindenburg Line in
1917. In the latter action, he attacked an entire machine gun crew,
killing the group and seizing the gun. Born in Tasmania, Whittle
completed twelve months active service during the Second Boer War,
before returning to Australia and enlisting in the Royal Navy where he
served for five years as a stoker. Re-enlisting in the army, he was
posted to the Army Service Corps, artillery, and Tasmanian Rifle
Regiment prior to the outbreak of the First World War. Transferring to
the Australian Imperial Force in 1915, Whittle joined the 12th
Battalion in Egypt and embarked for the Western Front the following
year. During an attack on the village of La Barque, Whittle rushed a
German trench and forced the men from the position; he was awarded the
Distinguished Conduct Medal as a result. Wounded three times during the
war, Whittle was the subject of two courts-martial due to his unruly
behaviour. In October 1918, he returned to Australia at the invitation
of the Prime Minister of Australia to assist in recruitment. Discharged
from the military in December 1918, he later moved to Sydney. In 1932,
Whittle was presented with a Certificate of Merit after saving a
drowning boy. He died in 1946 at the age of 63.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Whittle>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
986:
Byzantine–Bulgarian Wars: The Bulgarians defeated the Byzantine forces
at the Gate of Trajan near present-day Ihtiman, with Byzantine Emperor
Basil II barely escaping.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_the_Gates_of_Trajan>
1862:
A council of Dakota decided to attack settlements throughout the
Minnesota River valley in an effort to drive whites out of the area,
sparking the Dakota War.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dakota_War_of_1862>
1945:
Sukarno and Mohammad Hatta proclaimed the independence of Indonesia ,
igniting the Indonesian National Revolution against the Dutch Empire,
who wanted to regain control of the territory following Japan's
surrender to end World War II two days earlier.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indonesian_National_Revolution>
1959:
Kind of Blue by Miles Davis, cited by many music critics as one of the
best selling and most acclaimed jazz recordings of all time, was
released.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kind_of_Blue>
1969:
Hurricane Camille struck the Mississippi coast of the United States,
killing 259 people and causing US$1.42 billion in damages.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurricane_Camille>
1999:
A 7.5 Mw earthquake struck northwestern Turkey, killing over 17,000
people and leaving approximately half a million people homeless.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1999_%C4%B0zmit_earthquake>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
enamor (v):
To inflame with love; to charm; to captivate
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/enamor>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
To this day, if you ask me how I became a writer, I cannot give you an
answer. To this day, if you ask me how a book is written, I cannot
answer. For long periods, if I didn't know that somehow in the past I
had written a book, I would have given up.
--V. S. Naipaul
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/V._S._Naipaul>
Vega is the brightest star in the constellation Lyra, the fifth
brightest star in the night sky and the second brightest star in the
northern celestial hemisphere. It is a relatively close star at only 25
light-years from Earth, and one of the most luminous stars in the Sun's
neighbourhood. Vega has been extensively studied by astronomers. It was
the first star other than the Sun to have its photograph taken and the
first to have its spectrum photographed. Historically, Vega served as
the northern pole star around 12,000 BCE and will do so again at 13,727
CE. Vega is only about a tenth the age of the Sun, but it is evolving
so quickly that it has already approached the midpoint of its life
expectancy. It has an unusually low abundance of the elements with a
higher atomic number than that of helium. It is rotating rapidly with a
velocity of 274 km/s at the equator. Based on an observed excess
emission of infrared radiation, Vega appears to have a circumstellar
disk of dust. This dust is likely the result of collisions (pictured)
between objects in an orbiting debris disk, which is analogous to the
Kuiper belt in the Solar System. Irregularities in Vega's disk also
suggest the presence of at least one planet, likely to be about the
size of Jupiter.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vega>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1777:
American Revolutionary War: The Americans led by General John Stark
routed British and Brunswick troops under Friedrich Baum at the Battle
of Bennington in Walloomsac, New York.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Bennington>
1819:
Cavalry charged into a crowd of 60–80,000 gathered at St Peter's Field,
Manchester, England, to demand the reform of parliamentary
representation, killing 15 people and injuring 400–700 others.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peterloo_Massacre>
1896:
A group led by Skookum Jim Mason discovered gold near Dawson City,
Yukon, Canada, setting off the Klondike Gold Rush.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Klondike_Gold_Rush>
1929:
A long-running dispute between Muslims and Jews over access to the
Western Wall in Jerusalem escalated into a week-long period of violent
riots throughout Palestine.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1929_Palestine_riots>
1977:
Elvis Presley , "The King of Rock and Roll", was officially pronounced
dead at Baptist Memorial Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee, after he was
found unresponsive on the floor of his Graceland bathroom.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elvis_Presley>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
gumshoe (n):
1. A sneaker or rubber overshoe.
2. (slang) A detective
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/gumshoe>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Nine-tenths of tactics are certain, and taught in books: but the
irrational tenth is like the kingfisher flashing across the pool, and
that is the test of generals. It can only be ensured by instinct,
sharpened by thought practising the stroke so often that at the crisis
it is as natural as a reflex.
--T. E. Lawrence
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/T._E._Lawrence>
Chrono Cross is a console role-playing game developed and published by
Square (now Square Enix) for the Sony PlayStation video game console.
It is the sequel to Chrono Trigger, which was released in 1995 for the
Super Nintendo Entertainment System. Chrono Cross was developed
primarily by director Masato Kato and producer Hiromichi Tanaka
(pictured); other designers from Chrono Trigger contributed, including
composer Yasunori Mitsuda. The story of Chrono Cross focuses on a
teenager named Serge and a theme of parallel worlds. Faced with an
alternate reality in which he died as a child, Serge endeavors to
discover the truth of the two worlds' divergence. Upon its release in
Japan in 1999 and in North America in 2000, Chrono Cross received high
ratings and critical acclaim, earning a rare perfect 10.0 score from
GameSpot. The game shipped 1.5 million copies worldwide, leading to a
Greatest Hits re-release and continued life in Japan as part of the
Ultimate Hits series.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chrono_Cross>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
778:
A Frankish army led by Roland was defeated by the Basques at Roncevaux
Pass in the Pyrenees on the border between France and Spain.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Roncevaux_Pass>
1248:
The foundation stone of Cologne Cathedral, built to house the relics of
the Three Wise Men, was laid.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cologne_Cathedral>
1695:
Nine Years' War: French forces ended their three-day bombardment of
Brussels, leaving a third of the buildings in the city in ruins .
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bombardment_of_Brussels>
1914:
The Panama Canal opened to traffic, providing a shortcut from the
Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean through the Isthmus of Panama.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panama_Canal>
1945:
The Gyokuon-hōsō was broadcast in Japan, announcing the unconditional
surrender of the Japanese army and naval forces, bringing World War II
to a close.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surrender_of_Japan>
1947:
The British Raj was partitioned into the Union of India and the
Dominion of Pakistan.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Raj>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
pavonine (adj):
1. Of or pertaining to the peafowl.
2. Possessing the coloring or iridescence of a peacock feather.
3.
Resembling the tail of a peacock
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/pavonine>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
The supreme truths are neither the rigid conclusions of logical
reasoning nor the affirmations of credal statement, but fruits of the
soul's inner experience.
--Sri Aurobindo
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Sri_Aurobindo>
A B movie is a low-budget commercial motion picture conceived neither
as an arthouse film nor as pornography. In its original usage, during
the Golden Age of Hollywood, the term more precisely identified a film
intended for distribution as the less-publicized, bottom half of a
double feature. Although the U.S. production of movies intended as
second features largely ceased by the end of the 1950s, the term B
movie continued to be used in the broader sense it maintains today. In
its post–Golden Age usage, there is ambiguity on both sides of the
definition: on the one hand, many B movies display a high degree of
craft and aesthetic ingenuity; on the other, the primary interest of
many inexpensive exploitation films is prurient. In some cases, both
are true. In either usage, most B movies represent a particular
genre—the Western was a Golden Age B movie staple, while low-budget
science-fiction and horror films became more popular in the 1950s.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/B_movie>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1842:
American Indian Wars: United States general William Jenkins Worth
declared the Second Seminole War to be over.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Seminole_War>
1888:
A recording of English composer Arthur Sullivan's The Lost Chord (audio
clip right), one of the first recordings of music ever made, was played
during a press conference introducing Thomas Edison's phonograph in
London.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Lost_Chord>
1941:
After a secret meeting aboard warships in a secure anchorage near
Argentia, Newfoundland, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and
U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt issued the Atlantic Charter,
establishing a vision for a post-World War II world despite the fact
that the United States had yet to enter the war.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atlantic_Charter>
2006:
The United Nations brokered a ceasefire in the Lebanon War between
Lebanon and Israel.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2006_Lebanon_War>
2007:
Four co-ordinated suicide bomb attacks detonated in the Iraqi towns of
Qahtaniya and Jazeera, killing an estimated 796 people and wounding
1,562 others.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2007_Yazidi_communities_bombings>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
libration (n):
1. The act of oscillating or wobbling.
2. (astronomy) The apparent wobble or variation in the visible side of
the Moon that permanently faces the Earth
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/libration>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Time will rust the sharpest sword,
Time will consume the strongest cord;
That which molders hemp and
steel,
Mortal arm and nerve must feel.
--Walter Scott
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Walter_Scott>
The silky shark is a species of requiem shark, family Carcharhinidae,
named for the smooth texture of its skin. It is one of the most
abundant sharks in the pelagic zone, and can be found in tropical
waters worldwide. Highly mobile and migratory, this shark is most often
found over the edge of the continental shelf to a depth of 50 m
(160 ft). The silky shark has a slender, streamlined body and typically
grows to 2.5 m (8.2 ft) long. A swift, inquisitive and persistent
hunter, it feeds mainly on bony fishes and cephalopods, and has been
known to drive them into compacted schools before launching
open-mouthed, slashing attacks. This species often trails schools of
tuna, a favored prey. The silky shark has an extremely acute sense of
hearing, allowing it to localize the low-frequency sound generated by
other feeding animals, and by extension, sources of food. Due to their
abundance, they form a major component of commercial and artisanal
shark fisheries in many countries. Data now suggest that silky shark
numbers are declining around the world, which prompted the
International Union for Conservation of Nature to reassess its
conservation status from Least Concern to Near Threatened in 2007.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silky_shark>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1521:
After an extended siege, forces led by Spanish Conquistador Hernán
Cortés captured Tlatoani Cuauhtémoc and conquered the Aztec capital of
Tenochtitlan.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tenochtitlan>
1704:
The combined forces of England, the Holy Roman Empire, and the United
Provinces defeated France and Bavaria in the Battle of Blenheim , one
of the turning points of the War of the Spanish Succession.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Blenheim>
1937:
The Battle of Shanghai broke out, eventually becoming one of the
largest and bloodiest battles of the entire Second Sino-Japanese War.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Shanghai>
1960:
The Central African Republic gained its independence from France, with
David Dacko as its first president.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Central_African_Republic>
2004:
Hurricane Charley struck Florida, just 22 hours after Tropical Storm
Bonnie inflicted its own damage to the U.S. state.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurricane_Charley>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
xenodochial (adj):
Friendly to strangers
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/xenodochial>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
The question what to believe is perhaps the most momentous that anyone
can put to himself. Our beliefs are not to be classed among the
luxuries, but among the necessaries of existence.
--Felix Adler
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Felix_Adler>
Thomas of Bayeux was Archbishop of York from 1070 until 1100. A native
of Bayeux, he was educated at Liège and became a royal chaplain to Duke
William of Normandy, later King William I of England. After the Norman
Conquest, the King nominated Thomas to succeed Ealdred as Archbishop of
York. After Thomas' election, Lanfranc, Archbishop of Canterbury,
demanded an oath from Thomas to obey him and any future Archbishops of
Canterbury; this was part of Lanfranc's claim that Canterbury was the
primary bishopric, and its holder the head of the English Church.
Thomas countered that York had never made such an oath, which resulted
in Lanfranc's refusal to consecrate him. The King eventually persuaded
Thomas to submit, but Thomas and Lanfranc continued to clash over
ecclesiastical issues, including the primacy of Canterbury, which
dioceses belonged to the province of York, and the question of how
York's obedience to Canterbury would be expressed. After King William
I's death Thomas served his successor William II, and helped to put
down a rebellion led by Thomas' old mentor Odo of Bayeux. Thomas also
attended the trial for rebellion of the Bishop of Durham, William de
St-Calais, Thomas' sole suffragan, or bishop subordinate to York.
During William II's reign Thomas once more became involved in the
dispute with Canterbury over the primacy when he refused to consecrate
the new Archbishop of Canterbury, Anselm, if Anselm was named the
Primate of England in the consecration service. After William II's
sudden death in 1100, Thomas arrived too late to crown King Henry I,
and died soon after the coronation.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_of_Bayeux>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1676:
Praying Indian John Alderman shot and killed King Philip, the Wampanoag
war chief, ending King Philip's War.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King_Philip%27s_War>
1877:
American astronomer Asaph Hall discovered Deimos, the smaller of the
two moons of Mars.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deimos_%28moon%29>
1981:
The IBM Personal Computer , the original version and progenitor of the
IBM PC compatible hardware platform, was introduced.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IBM_Personal_Computer>
1990:
American paleontologist Sue Hendrickson found the most complete
skeleton of a Tyrannosaurus near Faith, South Dakota, US.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sue_%28dinosaur%29>
2000:
The Oscar class submarine K-141 Kursk of the Russian Navy exploded and
sank in the Barents Sea during a military exercise.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian_submarine_Kursk_explosion>
2005:
Foreign Minister of Sri Lanka Lakshman Kadirgamar was fatally shot by a
Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam sniper as he was getting out of his
swimming pool at his home in Colombo.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lakshman_Kadirgamar>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
quethe (v):
(obsolete except in past tense quoth) To say or declare
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/quethe>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
There are few efforts more conducive to humility than that of the
translator trying to communicate an incommunicable beauty. Yet, unless
we do try, something unique and never surpassed will cease to exist
except in the libraries of a few inquisitive book lovers.
--Edith Hamilton
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Edith_Hamilton>
The 2008 Japanese Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on
October 12, 2008, at the Fuji Speedway, Oyama, Japan. It was the 16th
race of the 2008 Formula One season. The race, contested over 67 laps,
was won by Fernando Alonso for the Renault team from fourth position on
the starting grid. Robert Kubica finished second in a BMW Sauber, and
Kimi Räikkönen third in a Ferrari. Lewis Hamilton, the eventual
Drivers' Champion, led the Championship going into the race, and
started from pole position alongside Räikkönen. Hamilton's McLaren
teammate Heikki Kovalainen began from third, next to Alonso. At the
first corner Hamilton braked late, forcing Räikkönen wide. Hamilton was
later given a penalty, and was criticised by the British racing press
for overly aggressive driving. Ferrari driver Felipe Massa, Hamilton's
principal Championship rival, was penalised after an incident on lap
two in which he touched Hamilton's car and spun it around. The incident
dropped Hamilton to the back of the field, from where he was unable to
regain a pointscoring position. Massa later collided with Sébastien
Bourdais of Toro Rosso. Bourdais was penalised after the race, and
demoted from sixth to tenth position. The penalty prompted widespread
criticism from the racing media and ex-drivers. The victory was
Alonso's second consecutive win, after he started from 15th on the grid
to win the Singapore Grand Prix.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2008_Japanese_Grand_Prix>
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Today's selected anniversaries:
3114 BC:
The epoch of the Mesoamerican Long Count calendar, a non-repeating,
vigesimal calendar used by the Maya civilization and several other
Mesoamerican cultures, occurred.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mesoamerican_Long_Count_calendar>
1492:
The first papal conclave held in the Sistine Chapel elected Roderic
Borja as Pope Alexander VI to succeed Pope Innocent VIII.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Papal_conclave%2C_1492>
1828:
William Corder was hanged at Bury St Edmunds, England, for murdering
Maria Marten at the Red Barn.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Barn_Murder>
1942:
Actress Hedy Lamarr and composer George Antheil received a patent for
their "Secret Communications System", an early technique of
frequency-hopping spread spectrum that later became the basis for many
forms of today's wireless communication systems.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hedy_Lamarr>
1965:
Violent race rioting began in the Watts district of Los Angeles,
lasting for six days and leaving 34 people dead and 1,032 others
injured.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Watts_Riots>
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Wiktionary's word of the day:
jauntily (adv):
1. In an airy, showy, or affected manner.
2. In a dapper or stylish manner.
3. In an ostentatiously
self-confident manner
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/jauntily>
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Wikiquote quote of the day:
If the world ever advances beyond what it is today, it must be led by
men who express their real opinions.
--Robert G. Ingersoll
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Robert_G._Ingersoll>