The 2012 phenomenon comprises a range of eschatological beliefs
according to which cataclysmic or transformative events will occur on
21 December 2012. This date is regarded as the end-date of a 5,125-year
cycle in the Mesoamerican Long Count calendar. Various astronomical
alignments and numerological formulae have been proposed as pertaining
to this date, though none have been accepted by mainstream scholarship.
A New Age interpretation of this transition is that this date marks the
start of a time in which Earth and its inhabitants may undergo a
positive physical or spiritual transformation, and that 2012 may mark
the beginning of a new era. Others suggest that the date marks the end
of the world or a similar catastrophe. Scenarios suggested for the end
of the world include the arrival of the next solar maximum, an
interaction between Earth and the black hole at the centre of the
galaxy, or Earth's collision with a planet called "Nibiru". Scholars
from various disciplines have dismissed the idea of such cataclysmic
events occurring in 2012. Mayanist scholars state that predictions of
impending doom are not found in any of the extant classic Maya accounts,
and that the idea that the Long Count calendar "ends" in 2012
misrepresents Maya history and culture.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2012_phenomenon>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1860:
South Carolina became the first of eleven slave states to
secede from the United States, leading to the eventual creation of the
Confederate States of America and later the American Civil War.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Confederate_States_of_America>
1946:
Frank Capra's popular Christmas film It's a Wonderful Life was
first released in New York City.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/It%27s_a_Wonderful_Life>
1955:
Cardiff was proclaimed as the capital of Wales.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cardiff>
1999:
Portugal transferred sovereignty of Macau, which it had
administered since the mid-16th century, to China.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macau>
2007:
Pablo Picasso's Portrait of Suzanne Bloch was stolen from the
São Paulo Museum of Art.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portrait_of_Suzanne_Bloch>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
b'ak'tun:
A period, in Maya calendrical reckoning, of 144 000 days, which is
394.25 solar years.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/b%27ak%27tun>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Individuality is only possible if it unfolds from wholeness.
--David Bohm
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/David_Bohm>
James Tod (1782–1835) was an English officer of the British East India
Company and an Oriental scholar. He combined his official role and his
amateur interests to create a series of works about the history and
geography of India, particularly the area then known as Rajputana
(present-day Rajasthan). He travelled to India in 1799 as a cadet in the
Bengal Army and rose quickly in rank. After the Third Anglo-Maratha War,
during which Tod was involved in the intelligence department, he was
appointed Political Agent for some areas of Rajputana. His task was to
help unify the region under the control of the East India Company. While
Tod was initially successful, his methods were questioned. Over time,
his work was restricted and his areas of oversight were significantly
curtailed. In 1823, due to declining health and reputation, Tod resigned
and returned to England. He then published a number of academic works
about India, based on materials collected during his travels. His major
works have been criticised as inaccurate and biased. However, he is
highly regarded in some areas of India and his accounts of India in
general and the Rajputs in particular had a significant impact on
British views for many years.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Tod>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1154:
Henry II was crowned King of England in London's Westminster
Abbey.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_II_of_England>
1828:
Nullification Crisis: Vice President of the United States John
C. Calhoun wrote the South Carolina Exposition and Protest to protest
the Tariff of 1828.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Carolina_Exposition_and_Protest>
1843:
A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens, a novella about the miser
Ebenezer Scrooge and his conversion after being visited by three
Christmas ghosts, was first published.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Christmas_Carol>
1932:
The BBC's World Service was launched as BBC Empire Service.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BBC_World_Service>
1964:
The Army of the Republic of Vietnam, the ruling junta of South
Vietnam led by Nguyen Khanh, initiated a coup, dissolving and arresting
members of the High National Council, a civilian advisory body.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/December_1964_South_Vietnamese_coup>
1997:
SilkAir Flight 185 crashed into the Musi River in Indonesia in
what was determined to be a murder-suicide by the captain.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SilkAir_Flight_185>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
doomsayer:
One who makes dire predictions about the future; one fond of predicting
disaster.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/doomsayer>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
I have endeavoured in this Ghostly little book, to raise the Ghost of an
Idea, which shall not put my readers out of humour with themselves, with
each other, with the season, or with me. in
--A Christmas Carol
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/A_Christmas_Carol>
Final Fantasy is a media franchise created by Hironobu Sakaguchi. It
centers on a series of fantasy and science fantasy role-playing video
games (RPGs), but includes motion pictures, anime, printed media, and
other merchandise. The first game in the series, published in 1987, was
conceived by Sakaguchi as his last-ditch effort in the game industry;
the title was a success and spawned sequels. The video game series has
since branched into other genres. Although most Final Fantasy
installments are supposedly independent stories with different settings
and main characters, they feature identical elements that define the
franchise. Plots center on a group of heroes battling a great evil while
exploring the characters' internal struggles and relationships. The
series has been commercially and critically successful; it is Square
Enix's best selling video game franchise, with more than 100 million
units sold, and one of the best-selling video game franchises. It was
awarded a star on the Walk of Game in 2006, and holds seven Guinness
World Records in the Guinness World Records Gamer's Edition 2008. It has
also introduced many features now common in role-playing video games and
has been credited with helping to popularize console-based RPGs in
markets outside Japan.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Final_Fantasy>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1892:
The first performance of the fairy tale-ballet The Nutcracker
was held at the Mariinsky Theatre in Saint Petersburg, Russia.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Nutcracker>
1912:
Amateur archaeologist Charles Dawson announced the discovery of
fossilised remains of a previously unknown early human, known as
Piltdown Man, which later turned out to be a hoax.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piltdown_Man>
1939:
Second World War: The German Luftwaffe victory over the Royal
Air Force in the Battle of the Heligoland Bight greatly influenced both
sides' future air strategy.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_the_Heligoland_Bight_(1939)>
1966:
Epimetheus (pictured), one of the moons of Saturn, was
discovered, but was mistaken as Janus. It took 12 years to determine
that they are two distinct objects sharing the same orbit.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epimetheus_(moon)>
1996:
The school board of Oakland, California, passed a controversial
resolution officially declaring African American Vernacular English as a
separate language or dialect.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oakland_Ebonics_controversy>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
pergola:
A framework in the form of a passageway of columns that supports a
trelliswork roof; used to support and train climbing plants.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/pergola>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Come, Desire of nations, come, fix in us thy humble home; rise, the
woman's conquering Seed, bruise in us the serpent's head. Adam's
likeness, Lord, efface; stamp thine image in its place. Second Adam from
above, Reinstate us in thy love. Hark! the herald angels sing, "Glory to
the new born King!"
--Charles Wesley
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Charles_Wesley>
"Mr. Hankey, the Christmas Poo" is the ninth episode of the first season
of the animated comedy television series South Park. The show's first
Christmas special, it portrays the Jewish character Kyle feeling
excluded from the town's Christmas celebrations and being comforted by
Mr. Hankey, who can talk and sing. As Mr. Hankey does not come alive in
the presence of other characters, they begin to think that Kyle is
delusional. In another plot strand, the townspeople remove all symbols
of Christmas from South Park to render the celebrations politically
correct and inoffensive. When all the children start believing in him,
Mr. Hankey finally reveals himself to everyone and scolds them for
losing sight of the good things of Christmas and focusing on the bad.
The townspeople apologize to Kyle, then sing Christmas songs and watch
Mr. Hankey fly away with Santa Claus. Heavily influenced by the Peanuts
Christmas special "A Charlie Brown Christmas", "Mr. Hankey, the
Christmas Poo" was the first South Park musical episode and the only
episode in season one in which Kenny does not die. It is a satire of
political correctness and religious sensitivity and has been described
as one of the classic South Park episodes.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mr._Hankey,_the_Christmas_Poo>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
942:
William I Longsword of Normandy was ambushed by supporters of
Arnulf I, Count of Flanders while the two were at a peace conference to
settle their differences.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_I,_Duke_of_Normandy>
1790:
The Aztec calendar stone (pictured), now a symbol of modern
Mexican culture, was excavated in the Zócalo, Mexico City's main
square.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aztec_calendar_stone>
1944:
Nazi troops under Joachim Peiper killed unarmed prisoners of
war, captured during the Battle of the Bulge, with machine guns near
Malmedy, Belgium.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malmedy_massacre>
1951:
The Civil Rights Congress, an American civil rights group,
presented a document to the United Nations Genocide Convention charging
the United States government with genocide against African Americans.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/We_Charge_Genocide>
2010:
Tunisian street vendor Mohamed Bouazizi set himself on fire in
protest to police harassment, triggering the Tunisian Revolution.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mohamed_Bouazizi>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
neotenous:
1. Exhibiting retention of juvenile characteristics in the adult.
2. (informal) Babyfaced.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/neotenous>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
You may well ask why I write. And yet my reasons are quite many. For it
is not unusual in human beings who have witnessed the sack of a city or
the falling to pieces of a people to set down what they have witnessed
for the benefit of unknown heirs or of generations infinitely remote;
or, if you please, just to get the sight out of their heads.
--Ford Madox Ford
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Ford_Madox_Ford>
The 1950 Atlantic hurricane season was the first year in the Atlantic
hurricane database (HURDAT) in which storms were given names by the
United States Air force from the Joint Army/Navy Phonetic Alphabet. It
was an active season with sixteen tropical storms, with eleven of them
developing into hurricanes. Eight of these hurricanes were intense
enough to be classified as major hurricanes—a denomination reserved
for storms that attained sustained winds equivalent to a Category 3 or
greater on the present-day Saffir-Simpson scale. The high number of
major hurricanes make 1950 the holder of the record for the most systems
of such intensity in a single season. The large quantity of strong
storms during the year yielded the highest seasonal accumulated cyclone
energy (ACE) of the 20th century. The tropical cyclones of the season
produced a total of 88 fatalities and $38.5 million in property
damage. The first officially named Atlantic hurricane was Hurricane Able
(path pictured), which formed on August 12, brushed the North Carolina
coastline, and later moved across southeastern Canada. The strongest
hurricane of the season, Hurricane Dog reached the equivalent of a
Category 5 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson scale, and caused extensive
damage to the Leeward Islands.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1950_Atlantic_hurricane_season>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1598:
Admiral Yi Sun-sin's Korean navy defeated the Japanese fleet at
the Battle of Noryang, the final naval battle of the Imjin War.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Noryang>
1653:
Oliver Cromwell became Lord Protector of the Commonwealth of
England.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oliver_Cromwell>
1761:
Seven Years' War: Russian forces captured Kolberg, Prussia's
last port on the Baltic coast, after a four-month siege.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siege_of_Kolberg_(Seven_Years%27_War)>
1918:
Vincas Mickevičius-Kapsukas declared the formation of the
Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic, a puppet state created by Soviet
Russia to justify the Lithuanian–Soviet War.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lithuanian_Soviet_Socialist_Republic_(1918%E2…>
1930:
Herman Lamm, "the father of modern bank robbery", was shot and
killed during a botched robbery attempt in Clinton, Indiana, US.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herman_Lamm>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
tergiversation:
1. The act of abandoning something or someone, of changing sides;
desertion; betrayal.
2. The act of evading any clear course of action or speech, of being
deliberately ambiguous; equivocation.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/tergiversation>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
The God to whom depth in philosophy bring back men’s minds is far from
being the same from whom a little philosophy estranges them.
--George Santayana
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/George_Santayana>
The common toad is an amphibian found throughout most of Europe, with
the exception of Ireland, Iceland and some Mediterranean islands. It is
an inconspicuous animal as it usually lies hidden during the day,
becoming active at dusk and spending the night hunting for the
invertebrates on which it feeds. It moves with a slow ungainly walk or
short jumps and has greyish brown skin covered with wart-like lumps.
Although usually a solitary animal, in the breeding season large numbers
converge on certain breeding ponds, where the males compete to mate with
the females. Eggs are laid in gelatinous strings in the water and later
hatch out into tadpoles. After several months of growth and development,
these sprout limbs and undergo metamorphosis into tiny toads. The
juveniles emerge from the water and remain largely terrestrial for the
rest of their lives. The common toad seems to be in decline in part of
its range but overall is listed as being of "Least Concern" in the IUCN
Red List of Threatened Species. It is threatened by habitat loss,
especially by drainage of its breeding sites, and some toads get killed
on the roads as they make their annual migrations. It has long been
associated in popular culture and literature with witchcraft.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_toad>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1467:
Troops under Stephen III of Moldavia defeated the forces of
Matthias Corvinus of Hungary in present-day Baia, Romania.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Baia>
1791:
The first ten amendments to the United States Constitution,
collectively known as the Bill of Rights, were ratified.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Bill_of_Rights>
1906:
The Great Northern, Piccadilly and Brompton Railway, a
14.17-kilometre (8.80 mi) long deep-level underground tube railway
connecting Hammersmith and Finsbury Park, London, opened.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Northern,_Piccadilly_and_Brompton_Railw…>
1961:
Former Nazi leader Adolf Eichmann was sentenced to death after
being found guilty on fifteen criminal charges, including war crimes and
crimes against humanity.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adolf_Eichmann>
2010:
A boat carrying around 90 asylum seekers, mostly from Iraq and
Iran, crashed into rocks and sank off the coast of Christmas Island,
Australia, killing 48 people.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2010_Christmas_Island_boat_disaster>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
mango:
To remove the innards of, stuff (especially with spicy foods), seal and
pickle or pour boiling vinegar over (a fruit).
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/mango>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
In time of crisis, we summon up our strength. Then, if we are lucky, we
are able to call every resource, every forgotten image that can leap to
our quickening, every memory that can make us know our power. And this
luck is more than it seems to be: it depends on the long preparation of
the self to be used. In time of the crises of the spirit, we are aware
of all our need, our need for each other and our need for our selves. We
call up, with all the strength of summoning we have, our fullness.
--Muriel Rukeyser
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Muriel_Rukeyser>
Vidya Balan (born 1978) is an Indian film actress, who appears in Hindi,
Bengali and Malayalam language films. At age sixteen, Balan landed her
first acting role in the sitcom Hum Paanch (1995). After making several
unsuccessful attempts to start a career in film, she acted in television
commercials and music videos. In 2003, Balan made her feature film debut
with the independent Bengali drama Bhalo Theko and in 2005, she garnered
praise for her first Hindi film, Parineeta. Her subsequent portrayal of
glamorous characters in the films Heyy Babyy (2007) and Kismat
Konnection (2008) met with negative comments from film critics. She
later portrayed five consecutive roles to wide critical acclaim in Paa
(2009), Ishqiya (2010), No One Killed Jessica (2011), The Dirty Picture
(2011), and Kahaani (2012). These roles have fetched her the tag of a
"female hero" and established her as a leading contemporary actress of
Hindi cinema. Balan has received one National Film Award, four Filmfare
Awards and four Screen Awards. She initially drew criticism for her
weight and dress sense, but was later credited in the media for
retaining her individuality and breaking stereotypes of a Hindi film
heroine.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vidya_Balan>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1836:
The Toledo War, the mostly bloodless boundary dispute between
Ohio and the adjoining Territory of Michigan, unofficially ended with a
resolution passed by the controversial "Frostbitten Convention".
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toledo_War>
1960:
Australian cricketer Ian Meckiff was run out on the last day of
the first Test between Australia and the West Indies, causing the first
Tied Test in the history of cricket.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ian_Meckiff>
1962:
NASA's Mariner 2 became the world's first spacecraft to
successfully conduct a planetary encounter when it flew by Venus.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mariner_2>
1999:
Torrential rains caused flash floods (damage pictured) in
Vargas, Venezuela, resulting in tens of thousands of deaths, the
destruction of thousands of homes, and the complete collapse of the
state's infrastructure.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vargas_tragedy>
2004:
Cuba and Venezuela founded the Bolivarian Alliance for the
Americas.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bolivarian_Alliance_for_the_Americas>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
instar:
1. Any one of the several stages of postembryonic development which an
arthropod undergoes, between molts, before it reaches sexual maturity:
the hopper was placed in a box in its first instar.
2. An arthropod at a specified one of these stages: first and second
instars of this species are more susceptible to H. bacteriophora than
later instars.
3. A stage in development: "photographs of the landlady’s children in all
their instars" (Vladimir Nabokov, Lolita).
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/instar>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Instructors can impart only a fraction of the teaching. It is through
your own devoted practice that the mysteries of the Art of Peace are
brought to life.
--Morihei Ueshiba
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Morihei_Ueshiba>
Rex Ryan (born 1962) is an American football head coach for the New York
Jets of the National Football League (NFL). After serving as an
assistant coach for 22 years, Ryan attained his first head coaching job
in the NFL with the Jets in 2009. He is the son of former Philadelphia
Eagles and Arizona Cardinals head coach Buddy Ryan and is the fraternal
twin brother of Rob Ryan, defensive coordinator for the Dallas Cowboys.
Upon graduating from Southwestern Oklahoma State University, Ryan spent
the next 22 years serving as an assistant coach on different teams at
both the college and professional level. At the behest of their head
coach Brian Billick, Ryan joined the Baltimore Ravens in 1999 and spent
nine years there. In 2005 he earned the title of defensive coordinator
and in 2008 became the assistant head coach. Hours after the Ravens lost
to the Steelers in the 2008 playoffs, Ryan accepted a contract offer
from the Jets for their vacant head coaching position. He has become
well known throughout the league for his outspoken manner, boisterous
attitude and success with the Jets, and his teams are highly regarded by
critics for their defensive capabilities.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rex_Ryan>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1577:
Sir Francis Drake left Plymouth, England, with five ships and
164 men on his round-the-world voyage.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francis_Drake>
1636:
The Massachusetts Bay Colony organized three militia units, an
act considered to be the founding of the National Guard of the United
States.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Guard_of_the_United_States>
1862:
American Civil War: Union forces under Maj. Gen. Ambrose
Burnside suffered severe casualties against entrenched Confederate
defenders at the Battle of Fredericksburg in Fredericksburg, Virginia.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Fredericksburg>
1937:
Second Sino-Japanese War: Japanese forces captured Nanjing in
China and then began to commit numerous atrocities over the next several
weeks.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nanking_Massacre>
2001:
The Parliament of India was attacked by five gunmen, resulting
in 15 deaths, including those of the perpetrators.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2001_Indian_Parliament_attack>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
calendrical:
Of, pertaining to, or used by a calendar system.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/calendrical>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
If our animosities are born out of fear, then confident generosity is
born out of hope. One of the central lessons I have learned after a half
century of working in the developing world is that the replacement of
fear by hope is probably the single most powerful trampoline of
progress.
--Aga Khan IV
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Aga_Khan_IV>
Pepper v Hart is a landmark decision in English law on the use of
legislative history in statutory interpretation. The House of Lords, by
a majority, established the principle that when primary legislation is
ambiguous then, under certain circumstances, a court may refer to
statements made in Parliament in an attempt to interpret the meaning of
the legislation. Before this ruling, such an action would have been seen
as a breach of parliamentary privilege. Lord Mackay (pictured),
dissenting, argued that Hansard should not be considered admissible
evidence due to the time and expense involved in a lawyer having to look
up every debate and discussion on a particular statute when giving legal
advice or preparing a case. The decision met a mixed reception. While
the judiciary were cautiously accepting, legal academics argued that it
violated rules of evidence, damaged the separation of powers between the
executive and Parliament and caused additional expense in cases. In
2000, a senior judge, Lord Steyn, delivered a lecture in which he
attacked the logic and legal theory behind the decision, and several
subsequent judicial decisions have considerably limited the use of
Pepper by the courts.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pepper_v_Hart>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
627:
A Byzantine army under Emperor Heraclius defeated Emperor
Khosrau II's Persian forces, commanded by General Rhahzadh, near
present-day Mosul, Iraq.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Nineveh_(627)>
1915:
President Yuan Shikai of the Republic of China reinstated the
monarchy and declared himself Emperor.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yuan_Shikai>
1939:
The Royal Navy destroyer HMS Duchess was rammed by the
battleship HMS Barham she was escorting and sank with heavy loss of
life.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Duchess_(H64)>
1942:
World War II: German troops began Operation Winter Storm, an
attempt to relieve encircled Axis forces during the Battle of
Stalingrad.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Winter_Storm>
1964:
Jomo Kenyatta became the first President of the Republic of
Kenya.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jomo_Kenyatta>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
tin anniversary:
The tenth anniversary (yearly recurrence) of an event, especially a
wedding.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/tin_anniversary>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
With reasonable men, I will reason; with humane men I will plead; but to
tyrants I will give no quarter, nor waste arguments where they will
certainly be lost.
--William Lloyd Garrison
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/William_Lloyd_Garrison>
The Battle of Radzymin, a key part of what later became known as the
Battle of Warsaw, took place during the Polish–Soviet War (1919–21).
The battle occurred near the town of Radzymin, some 20 kilometres
(12 mi) north-east of Warsaw, between August 13 and 16, 1920. The first
phase began with a frontal assault by the Red Army on the Praga
bridgehead. The Soviet forces captured Radzymin on August 14 and
breached the lines of the 1st Polish Army, which was defending Warsaw
from the east. Radzymin changed hands several times in heavy fighting.
The Russians wanted to break through the Polish defences to Warsaw,
while the Polish aim was to defend the area long enough for a two-
pronged counteroffensive to outflank the attacking forces. After three
days of intense fighting, the corps-sized 1st Polish Army under General
Franciszek Latinik managed to repel a direct assault by six Red Army
rifle divisions at Radzymin and Ossów. The struggle for control of
Radzymin forced General Józef Haller, commander of the Polish Northern
Front, to start the 5th Army's counterattack earlier than planned.
Radzymin was recaptured on August 15, and this victory proved to be one
of the turning points of the Battle of Warsaw.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Radzymin_(1920)>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1905:
In support of the December Uprising in Moscow, the Council of
Workers' Deputies of Kiev stage a mass uprising, establishing the
Shuliavka Republic in the city.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shuliavka_Republic>
1920:
Irish War of Independence: Following an Irish Republican Army
ambush of a British Auxiliary patrol in Cork, British forces burned and
looted numerous buildings in the city.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Burning_of_Cork>
1972:
Apollo 17 (insignia pictured), the last Apollo moon mission,
landed on the Moon.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo_17>
1981:
Salvadoran Civil War: About 900 civilians were killed by the
Salvadoran armed forces in an anti-guerrilla campaign.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_Mozote_massacre>
2006:
The International Conference to Review the Global Vision of the
Holocaust opened in Tehran "to provide an appropriate scientific
atmosphere for scholars to offer their opinions in freedom about a
historical issue", but was criticised worldwide as a "meeting of
Holocaust deniers".
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Conference_to_Review_the_Global…>
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Wiktionary's word of the day:
stigmatize:
(transitive) To characterize as disgraceful or ignominious; to mark with
a stigma or stigmata.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/stigmatize>
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Wikiquote quote of the day:
Existence is a mystery, and one should accept it as a mystery and not
pretend to have any explanation. No, explanation is not needed — only
exclamation, a wondering heart, awakened, surprised, feeling the mystery
of life each moment. Then, and only then, you know what truth is. And
truth liberates.
--Osho
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Bhagwan_Shree_Rajneesh>