90px|Susanna Clarke, author of Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell
Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell is the first novel by British writer
Susanna Clarke (pictured). An alternative history set in 19th-century
England around the time of the Napoleonic Wars, it is based on the
premise that magic once existed in England and has returned with two
men: Gilbert Norrell and Jonathan Strange. Centering on the
relationship between these two men, the novel investigates the nature
of "Englishness" and the boundary between reason and madness. It has
been described as a fantasy novel, an alternative history, and a
historical novel. The narrative draws on various Romantic literary
traditions, such as the comedy of manners, the Gothic tale, and the
Byronic hero. The novel's language is a pastiche of 19th-century
writing styles, such as those of Jane Austen and Charles Dickens.
Clarke began writing Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell in 1993; ten years
later she submitted the manuscript for publication. It was accepted by
Bloomsbury and published in September 2004, with illustrations by
Portia Rosenberg. The novel was well-received by critics and reached
number three on the New York Times bestseller list. It was longlisted
for the 2004 Man Booker Prize and won the 2005 Hugo Award for Best
Novel. (more...)
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_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1504:
David , a marble sculpture by Michelangelo portraying the biblical King
David in the nude, was unveiled in Florence, Italy.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_%28Michelangelo%29>
1796:
French Revolutionary Wars: The French defeated Austrian forces in
Bassano, Venetia, present-day Italy.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Bassano>
1941:
World War II: German forces severed the last land connection to
Leningrad, beginning the Siege of Leningrad. Over 1 million of the
city's civilians died from starvation before the siege ended on January
27, 1944, becoming one of the most lethal battles in world history.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siege_of_Leningrad>
1978:
Iranian Revolution: After the government of the Shah of Iran declared
martial law in response to protests, the Iranian Army shot and killed
at least 88 demonstrators in Tehran on Black Friday.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Friday_%281978%29>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
unstinted (adj):
Not constrained, not restrained, or not confined
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/unstinted>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Oh, he tells me tears are something to hide
And something to fear
And I try so hard to keep it inside
So no one
can hear.
"Hush, hush, keep it down now.
Voices carry."
--Aimee Mann
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Aimee_Mann>
140px|The Green
The Green is a grass-covered field and common space at the center of
Dartmouth College, an Ivy League university located in Hanover, New
Hampshire, United States. It was among the first parcels of land
obtained by the College upon its founding in 1769, and is the only
creation of the 18th century remaining at the center of the campus.
Many of Dartmouth's important campus buildings are located around the
Green. After being cleared of pine trees, it initially served as a
pasture and later as an athletic field for College sporting events.
Today, it is a central location for rallies, celebrations, and
demonstrations, and serves as a general, all-purpose recreation area.
The College describes the Green as "historic" and as the "emotional
center" of the institution. (more...)
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<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Green_%28Dartmouth_College%29>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1893:
British expatriates in Italy founded the Genoa Cricket & Athletic Club,
today one of Italy's oldest association football clubs.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genoa_C.F.C.>
1927:
American inventor Philo Farnsworth built the first fully functional and
complete all-electronic television system.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philo_Farnsworth>
1936:
The last thylacine died in captivity in Hobart Zoo in Australia.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/thylacine>
1940:
World War II: The German Luftwaffe changed their strategy in the Battle
of Britain and began bombing London and other British cities and towns
for over 50 consecutive nights.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Blitz>
2004:
Hurricane Ivan made landfall on Grenada and destroyed at least 85% of
the island.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurricane_Ivan>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
fulcrum (n):
(mechanics) The support about which a lever pivots
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/fulcrum>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
As for the usefulness of poetry, its uses are many. It is the
deification of reality. It should make our days holy to us. The poet
should speak to all men, for a moment, of that other life of theirs
that they have smothered and forgotten.
--Edith Sitwell
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Edith_Sitwell>
130px|Chilean battleship Almirante Latorre
Almirante Latorre was a super-dreadnought battleship built for the
Chilean Navy. She was the first of a planned two-ship class that would
respond to earlier warship purchases by other South American countries.
Construction began soon after the ship was ordered in November 1911,
and was approaching completion when she was bought by the United
Kingdom's Royal Navy for use in the First World War. Commissioned in
September 1915, she served in the Grand Fleet as HMS Canada for the
duration of the war and saw action during the Battle of Jutland. Canada
was repurchased by Chile in 1920. She took back her original name of
Almirante Latorre, and served as Chile's flagship and frequently as
presidential transport. In September 1931, crewmen aboard Almirante
Latorre instigated a mutiny, which the majority of the Chilean fleet
quickly joined. After divisions developed between the mutineers, the
rebellion fell apart and the ships were returned to government control.
Almirante Latorre was put into reserve for a time in the 1930s due to a
severe economic depression, but she was in good enough condition to
receive interest from the United States after the attack on Pearl
Harbor. This was declined and the ship spent most of the Second World
War on patrol for Chile. She was scrapped in Japan beginning in 1959.
(more...)
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_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
394:
Forces of the Eastern Roman Emperor Theodosius I defeated Eugenius,
the usurper of the Western Roman Empire, at the Battle of the Frigidus
near modern-day Vipava, Slovenia.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theodosius%C2%A0I>
1955:
An overwhelming Turkish mob attacked ethnic Greeks in Istanbul, killing
over 13 people, wounding over thirty others, and damaging over 5,000
Greek-owned homes and businesses.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Istanbul_Pogrom>
1963:
The Krulak Mendenhall mission, led by U.S. Marine Corps Major General
Victor Krulak and U.S. Foreign Service Officer Joseph Mendenhall, was
launched by the Kennedy administration to assess the progress of the
Vietnam War, and the viability of South Vietnamese President Ngo Dinh
Diem against the backdrop of the Buddhist crisis and Xa Loi Pagoda
raids.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Krulak_Mendenhall_mission>
1970:
Members of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine hijacked
four jet aircraft en route from Europe to New York City, landing two of
them at Dawson's Field in Zerqa, Jordan, and one plane in Beirut,
Lebanon. The fourth hijacking was successfully foiled.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dawson%27s_Field_hijackings>
2000:
The Millennium Summit, a meeting of world leaders to discuss the role
of the United Nations at the turn of the 21st century, opened in New
York City.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Millennium_Summit>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
farrago (n):
A collection containing a confused variety of miscellaneous things
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/farrago>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
An opinion, right or wrong, can never constitute a moral offense, nor
be in itself a moral obligation. It may be mistaken; it may involve an
absurdity, or a contradiction. It is a truth; or it is an error: it can
never be a crime or a virtue.
--Frances Wright
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Frances_Wright>
115px|Metabolic network
Metabolism is the set of chemical reactions that happen in living
organisms to maintain life. These processes allow organisms to grow and
reproduce, maintain their structures, and respond to their
environments. The chemical reactions of metabolism are organized into
metabolic pathways, in which one chemical is transformed through a
series of steps into another chemical, by a sequence of enzymes.
Enzymes are crucial to metabolism because they allow organisms to drive
desirable reactions that require energy and will not occur by
themselves, by coupling them to spontaneous reactions that release
energy. As enzymes act as catalysts they allow these reactions to
proceed quickly and efficiently. Enzymes also allow the regulation of
metabolic pathways in response to changes in the cell's environment or
signals from other cells. The metabolism of an organism determines
which substances it will find nutritious and which it will find
poisonous. The speed of metabolism, the metabolic rate, also influences
how much food an organism will require. (more...)
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<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metabolism>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1781:
American Revolutionary War: French naval forces handed Britain an major
strategic defeat in the Battle of the Chesapeake.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_the_Chesapeake>
1943:
World War II: American and Australian forces made an airborne landing
at Nadzab as part of the New Guinea campaign against Japan.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/landing_at_Nadzab>
1960:
Senegalese poet Léopold Sédar Senghor was elected as the first
President of Senegal.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/L%C3%A9opold_S%C3%A9dar_Senghor>
1972:
The Palestinian militant group Black September took hostage eleven
Israeli athletes and coaches at the Olympic Games in Munich, West
Germany; all of the hostages were killed less than 24 hours later.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Munich_massacre>
1977:
NASA launched the robotic space probe Voyager 1, currently the man-made
object most distant from Earth.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voyager_1>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
thermoception (n):
The sense of heat and cold
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/thermoception>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Crazy Horse dreamed and went into the world where there is nothing but
the spirits of all things. That is the real world that is behind this
one, and everything we see here is something like a shadow from that
one.
--Black Elk
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Black_Elk>
The Eastbourne manslaughter was an 1860 legal case in Eastbourne,
England, concerning the death of 15-year-old Reginald Cancellor at the
hands of his teacher, Thomas Hopley. Hopley intended to use corporal
punishment to overcome what he perceived as stubbornness on Cancellor's
part, but instead he beat the boy to death. An inquest into Cancellor's
death began when his brother requested an autopsy. As a result of the
inquest Hopley was arrested and charged with manslaughter. He was found
guilty at trial and sentenced to four years in prison, although he
insisted that his actions were justifiable and that he was not guilty
of any crime. The trial was sensationalised by the Victorian press, and
incited debate over the use of corporal punishment in schools. After
Hopley's release and subsequent divorce trial, he largely disappeared
from the public record. The case became an important legal precedent in
the United Kingdom for discussions of corporal punishment in schools
and reasonable limits on discipline. (more...)
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<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eastbourne_manslaughter>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
476:
Germanic leader Odoacer captured Ravenna, the capital of the Western
Roman Empire, and deposed Emperor Romulus Augustus.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Odoacer>
1781:
Los Angeles was founded as El Pueblo de Nuestra Señora la Reina de los
Ángeles de Porciúncula by 44 Spanish settlers.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Los_Angeles>
1843:
Teresa Cristina of the Two Sicilies married Pedro II of Brazil at a
state ceremony.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teresa_Cristina_of_the_Two_Sicilies>
1957:
Arkansas Governor Orval Faubus deployed the Arkansas National Guard to
prevent nine African American students from attending Little Rock's
Central High School.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arkansas_National_Guard_and_the_Integration_of…>
1998:
Larry Page and Sergey Brin founded Google in Menlo Park, California, to
promote the web search engine that they developed as Stanford
University students.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Google>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
lightfast (adj):
Resistant to fading
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/lightfast>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
In hatred as in love, we grow like the thing we brood upon. What we
loathe, we graft into our very soul.
--Mary Renault
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Mary_Renault>
100px|Reverse side of the Sacagawea dollar
The Sacagawea dollar is a United States dollar coin which has been
minted every year since 2000. The Statue of Liberty was originally
proposed as the design subject, but Sacagawea, the Shoshone guide of
the Lewis and Clark expedition, was eventually chosen. The coin
features an obverse by Glenna Goodacre and a reverse by Thomas D.
Rogers. The new dollar coin was heavily marketed via a series of print,
radio and television advertisements, as well as United States Mint
partnerships with Wal-Mart and Cheerios. The Mint initially planned to
issue a 22-karat gold collector Sacagawea dollar in addition to the
regular production, but this idea was quickly abandoned after the
Mint's authority to strike the coins was questioned. Soon after initial
production of the dollar, it was noticed that some of the coins were
struck with the obverse of a state quarter and the normal reverse. The
Sacagawea dollar did not prove popular with the public, and mintage
dropped sharply in the second year of production. In 2009, the reverse
of the Sacagawea began changing yearly, with each design in the series
depicting a different Native American accomplishment. (more...)
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_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
863:
Byzantine–Arab Wars: The Byzantine Empire decisively defeated the
Emirate of Melitene in the Battle of Lalakaon, beginning the era of
Byzantine ascendancy.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Lalakaon>
1942:
The Holocaust: In possibly the first Jewish ghetto uprising, residents
of the Łachwa Ghetto in occupied Poland, informed of the upcoming
"liquidation" of the ghetto, unsuccessfully fought against their Nazi
captors.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C5%81achwa_Ghetto>
1950:
Winning the Italian Grand Prix, Giuseppe Farina became the first
Formula One world champion.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giuseppe_Farina>
1991:
A fire killed 25 people locked inside a burning chicken processing
plant in Hamlet, North Carolina, US.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hamlet_chicken_processing_plant_fire>
2004:
Russian security forces stormed a school in Beslan, North Ossetia, to
force an end to a three-day hostage crisis, killing at least 334 of the
over 1,100 hostages .
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beslan_school_hostage_crisis>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
éclat (n):
A brilliant or successful effect; brilliant, ostentatious show; glory,
renown
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/%C3%A9clat>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Your patience may have long to wait,
Whether in little things or great,
But all good luck, you soon will
learn,
Must come to those who nobly earn.
Who hunts the hay-field over
Will find the four-leaved clover.
--Sarah Orne Jewett
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Sarah_Orne_Jewett>
90px|Edmund Herring
Edmund Herring (1892–1982) was an Australian Army officer during the
Second World War, Lieutenant governor of Victoria, and Chief Justice of
the Supreme Court of Victoria. A Rhodes Scholar, Herring was at New
College, Oxford when the First World War broke out and served with the
Royal Field Artillery on the Macedonian front, for which he was awarded
the Military Cross and Distinguished Service Order. After the war he
carved out a successful career as a barrister and King's Counsel. He
also joined the Australian Army, rising to the rank of colonel by 1939.
During the Second World War, he commanded the 6th Division Artillery in
the Western Desert Campaign and the Battle of Greece. In 1942, as a
corps commander, he commanded the land forces in the Kokoda Track
campaign. The following year, he directed operations at Lae and Nadzab.
Herring left his corps to become the longest serving Chief Justice and
Lieutenant Governor of Victoria, serving for three decades. (more...)
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<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edmund_Herring>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1649:
Forces loyal to Pope Innocent X destroyed the ancient Italian city of
Castro, ending the Wars of Castro.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wars_of_Castro>
1885:
White miners in Rock Springs, Wyoming, US, attacked Chinese immigrants,
killing at least 28 Chinese miners and causing approximately US$150,000
in property damage.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rock_Springs_massacre>
1945:
On the deck of the United States Navy battleship Missouri in Tokyo Bay,
representatives from the Empire of Japan and several Allied Powers
signed the Japanese Instrument of Surrender , formally ending World
War II.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_Instrument_of_Surrender>
1946:
The interim government of India, headed by Jawaharlal Nehru, formed to
assist the transition of India from British rule to independence.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interim_Government_of_India>
1957:
President Ngo Dinh Diem of South Vietnam became the first foreign head
of state to make a state visit to Australia.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ngo_Dinh_Diem_presidential_visit_to_Australia>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
ouroboric (adj):
Relating to the Ouroboros, a snake eating its own tail; hence:
self-consuming, self-referential, recursive
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/ouroboric>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
To prevent government from becoming corrupt and tyrannous, its
organization and methods should be as simple as possible, its functions
be restricted to those necessary to the common welfare, and in all its
parts it should be kept as close to the people and as directly within
their control as may be.
--Henry George
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Henry_George>
95px|J. C. W. Beckham
John C. W. Beckham (1869–1940) was the 35th Governor of Kentucky and
a United States Senator. Descended from a prominent political family,
Beckham was chosen as Democrat William Goebel's running mate in the
gubernatorial election of 1899 when the former was not yet of legal age
to serve as governor. Goebel lost the election to Republican William S.
Taylor, but the Kentucky General Assembly disputed the election
results. During the political wrangling that followed, an unknown
assassin shot Goebel. A day later the General Assembly invalidated
enough votes to give the election to Goebel, who was sworn into office
on his deathbed. Taylor claimed the election had been stolen by the
Democratic majority in the General Assembly and a legal fight ensued
between him and Beckham over the governorship. Beckham ultimately
prevailed and Taylor fled the state. Following his term as governor,
Beckham made a bid to become a U.S. Senator, but the seat went to
Republican William O. Bradley. Six years later Beckham secured the seat
by popular election, but he lost his re-election bid largely because of
his pro-temperance views and his opposition to women's suffrage. He
died in Louisville on January 9, 1940. (more...)
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_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1604:
Sri Guru Granth Sahib, the religious text of Sikhism, was installed at
Harmandir Sahib.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guru_Granth_Sahib>
1902:
The first science fiction film, titled A Trip to the Moon and based on
>From the Earth to the Moon by Jules Verne, was released in France.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Trip_to_the_Moon>
1920:
The Fountain of Time opened as a tribute to the 100 years of peace
between the United States and Great Britain following the Treaty of
Ghent.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fountain_of_Time>
1939:
Nazi Germany invaded Poland at Wieluń and Westerplatte, starting World
War II in Europe.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Invasion_of_Poland>
1961:
The thirty-year Eritrean War of Independence began when rebels led by
Hamid Idris Awate fired shots at the Ethiopian Army.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eritrean_War_of_Independence>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
cohort (n):
1. A division of a Roman legion.
2. A group of people supporting the same thing or person.
3. An
accomplice, associate, or colleague
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/cohort>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
We've traveled halfway 'round the world
To find ourselves again —
September morn —
We danced until the
night became a brand new day,
Two lovers playing scenes from some romantic play —
September
morning still can make me feel that way.
--Neil Diamond
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Neil_Diamond>