Anna (killed 653 or 654) was King of East Anglia from the early 640s
until his death. Little is known of Anna's life or his reign, as few
records have survived from this period. He was one of the three sons of
Eni who ruled East Anglia, succeeding after Ecgric was killed in battle
by Penda of Mercia. Anna was praised by Bede for his devotion to
Christianity and was renowned for the saintliness of his family. In 645
Cenwalh of Wessex was driven from his kingdom by Penda and due to Anna's
influence, he was converted to Christianity while living as an exile at
the East Anglian court. Upon his return from exile, Cenwalh re-
established Christianity in his own kingdom and the people of Wessex
then remained firmly Christian. Following the attack in 651 by Penda on
the monastery at Cnobheresburg, which Anna richly endowed, he was forced
by Penda to flee into exile. He may have travelled to the western
kingdom of the Magonsæte and returned in about 653, but East Anglia was
attacked again by Penda soon afterwards and at the Battle of Bulcamp the
East Anglian army, led by Anna, was defeated by the Mercians, and Anna
and his son Jurmin were both killed. He was succeeded by his brother,
Æthelhere.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anna_of_East_Anglia>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1872:
P. B. S. Pinchback took office as Governor of Louisiana, the
first African American governor of a U.S. state.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/P._B._S._Pinchback>
1911:
A mine explosion near Briceville, Tennessee, killed 84 miners
despite a well-organized rescue effort led by the United States Bureau
of Mines.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cross_Mountain_Mine_disaster>
1931:
The approval of the Spanish Constitution by the Constituent
Cortes paved the way to the establishment of the Second Spanish
Republic.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spanish_Constitution_of_1931>
1940:
Second World War: British and Commonwealth forces opened
Operation Compass, the first major Allied military operation of the
Western Desert Campaign.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Compass>
1969:
U.S. Secretary of State William P. Rogers proposed his plan for
a ceasefire in the War of Attrition; Egypt's and Jordan's acceptance of
it over PLO objections led to civil war in Jordan in September 1970.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rogers_Plan>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
pass muster:
1. (idiomatic) To meet or exceed a particular standard.
2. (idiomatic) To adequately pass a formal or informal inspection.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/pass_muster>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Accuse not Nature: she hath done her part; Do thou but thine.
--John Milton
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/John_Milton>
"Imagine" is a song written and performed by English musician John
Lennon. The best selling single of his solo career, its lyrical
statement is one of collectivist positivism. It challenges the listener
to imagine a world at peace, without the divisiveness and barriers of
borders, religious denominations and nationalities, and to consider the
possibility that the focus of humanity should be living a life
unattached to material possessions. Lennon and Yoko Ono co-produced the
song and album of the same name with Phil Spector. One month after the
September 1971 release of the LP, Lennon released "Imagine" as a single
in the United States; the song peaked at number 3 on the Billboard Hot
100 and the album became the most commercially successful and critically
acclaimed of his solo career. Lennon released "Imagine" as a single in
the United Kingdom in 1975, and the song has since sold more than 1.6
million copies in the UK. It earned a Grammy Hall of Fame Award, an
induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped
Rock and Roll, and Rolling Stone ranked it number 3 in their list of
"The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time".
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imagine_(song)>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1854:
In his apostolic constitution Ineffabilis Deus, Pope Pius IX
proclaimed the dogmatic definition of Immaculate Conception, which holds
that the Virgin Mary was born free of original sin.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Immaculate_Conception>
1941:
Second World War: Led by Takashi Sakai, the Imperial Japanese
Army invaded Hong Kong and quickly achieved air superiority by bombing
Kai Tak Airport.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Hong_Kong>
1987:
A man shot and killed eight people at the Australia Post
building in Melbourne, before jumping to his death.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queen_Street_massacre>
1991:
Leaders of Belarus, Russia and Ukraine signed the Belavezha
Accords, agreeing to dissolve the Soviet Union and establish the
Commonwealth of Independent States.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commonwealth_of_Independent_States>
2010:
The Japanese experimental spacecraft IKAROS (model pictured)
passed by Venus at about 80,800 km distance, completing its planned
mission to demonstrate solar sail technology.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IKAROS>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
menorah:
(Judaism) A candelabrum with nine branches used in Jewish worship on
Hanukkah.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/menorah>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
How could I think the brief years were enough To prove the reality of
endless love?
--Delmore Schwartz
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Delmore_Schwartz>
Season two of Supernatural, an American paranormal drama television
series created by Eric Kripke, premiered September 28, 2006, and
concluded May 17, 2007, airing 22 episodes. The season focuses on
protagonists Sam (Jared Padalecki, pictured) and Dean Winchester (Jensen
Ackles) as they track down Azazel, the demon responsible for the deaths
of their mother Mary and father John. They attempt to discover the
demon's plan for Sam and other psychic children—young adults who were
visited by Azazel as infants and given abilities, and whose mothers
often then died in a fire. During their travels, they use their father's
journal to help them carry on the family business—saving people and
hunting supernatural creatures. The season aired Thursdays, 9:00 pm ET
in the United States, and averaged only about 3.14 million viewers. The
cast and crew garnered many award nominations, but the episodes received
mixed reviews from critics. While both the brotherly chemistry between
the lead actors and the decision to finish the main storyline were
praised, the formulaic structure of the episodes was criticized. The
season was internationally syndicated, released on DVD as a six-disc
box, and made available through digital retailers.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supernatural_(season_2)>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1724:
In Toruń, Royal Prussia, Polish authorities executed the
city's mayor and nine other Lutheran officials following tensions
between Protestants and Catholics.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tumult_of_Thorn_(Toru%C5%84)>
1787:
Delaware became the first U.S. state to ratify the United
States Constitution.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delaware>
1941:
World War II: The Imperial Japanese Navy made a surprise attack
on Pearl Harbor in Hawaii, intending to neutralize the United States
Pacific Fleet from influencing the war Japan was planning to wage in
Southeast Asia.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Attack_on_Pearl_Harbor>
1988:
A 6.9 Mw earthquake struck the Spitak region of Armenia,
killing at least 25,000 people.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1988_Spitak_earthquake>
2005:
Spanish authorities captured Croatian Army general Ante
Gotovina (pictured), who was wanted for war crimes committed during the
Croatian War of Independence; he was eventually cleared of all charges.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ante_Gotovina>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
blunderbuss:
An old style of muzzleloading firearm and early form of shotgun with a
distinctive short, large caliber barrel that is flared at the muzzle,
therefore able to fire scattered quantities of nails, stones, shot, etc.
at short range: Timothy was excited to find a toy blunderbuss waiting
under the Christmas tree.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/blunderbuss>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
And I feel that something's coming, and it's not just in the wind. It's
more than just tomorrow, it's more than where we've been, It offers me a
promise, it's telling me "Begin", I know we're needing something worth
believing in.
--Harry Chapin
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Harry_Chapin>
Ace Books is the oldest active specialty publisher of science fiction
and fantasy books (example pictured) and issued many of the best known
science fiction writers of the 1950s and 1960s. The company was founded
in New York City in 1952 by Aaron A. Wyn, and began as a genre publisher
of mysteries and westerns. It soon branched out into other genres,
publishing its first science fiction title in 1953; this was a
successful innovation, and within a few years, such titles outnumbered
both mysteries and westerns. Ace became known for the tête-bêche
binding format used for many of its early books, although it did not
originate the format. Most of the early titles were published in this
"Ace Double" format, and Ace continued to issue books in varied genres,
bound tête-bêche, until 1973. These have proved attractive to book
collectors, and some rare titles in mint condition command prices up to
$1,000. It was one of the leading science fiction publishers for its
first ten years, but its fortunes began to decline after the death of
owner A. A. Wyn in 1967. Two prominent editors, Donald A. Wollheim and
Terry Carr, left in 1971, and in 1972 Ace was sold to Grosset & Dunlap.
It is now an imprint of Penguin Group (USA).
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ace_Books>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1865:
Slavery in the United States was officially abolished when the
Thirteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was ratified.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thirteenth_Amendment_to_the_United_States_Con…>
1917:
A ship in Halifax Harbour, Nova Scotia, Canada, carrying TNT
and picric acid caught fire after a collision with another ship and
caused the world's largest man-made accidental explosion (pictured).
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halifax_Explosion>
1928:
On the behest of the United States, the Colombian Army
violently suppressed a month-long strike by United Fruit Company
workers.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Banana_massacre>
1982:
The Irish National Liberation Army exploded a time bomb in
Ballykelly, Northern Ireland, killing eleven British Army soldiers and
six civilians.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Droppin_Well_bombing>
1988:
The Australian Capital Territory was granted self-government.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_Australian_Capital_Territory>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
Nicholine:
Created by, in the style of, or pertaining to (any of several people
named) Nicholas.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Nicholine>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
The position which believers and unbelievers occupy with regard to their
various forms of faith is very much the same all over the world. The
difficulties which trouble us, have troubled the hearts and minds of men
as far back as we can trace the beginnings of religious life. The great
problems touching the relation of the Finite to the Infinite, of the
human mind as the recipient, and of the Divine Spirit as the source of
truth, are old problems indeed; and while watching their appearance in
different countries, and their treatment under varying circumstances, we
shall be able, I believe, to profit ourselves, both by the errors which
others committed before us, and by the truth which they discovered. We
shall know the rocks that threaten every religion in this changing and
shifting world of ours, and having watched many a storm of religious
controversy and many a shipwreck in distant seas, we shall face with
greater calmness and prudence the troubled waters at home.
--Max Müller
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Max_M%C3%BCller>
The Golden White-eye is a species of bird in the white-eye family
Zosteropidae. It is the only species within the genus Cleptornis. The
Golden White-eye was once considered to be a honeyeater in the family
Meliphagidae and although it is now known to be a white-eye, its
position within that family is still uncertain. The species is
restricted to the islands of Saipan and Aguijan in the Northern Mariana
Islands, where it is sympatric (shares its range) and competes with the
related Bridled White-eye. The Golden White-eye has golden plumage and a
pale eye-ring. It feeds on insects, fruit, and nectar and forages in
pairs or small family groups. The bird is monogamous and lays two eggs
in a small cup nest. Fossil evidence shows the Golden White-eye once
also occurred on Tinian and Rota but was extirpated in those locations
through the impact of human activities. Despite its current abundance on
Saipan and Aguijan, and the fact that it has among the highest recorded
densities for any bird, it is nevertheless considered to be critically
endangered. It is threatened by the invasive Brown Tree Snake, which has
recently become established on Saipan; efforts are under way to control
the snakes and breed the white-eye in zoos.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_White-eye>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1484:
Pope Innocent VIII issued the papal bull Summis desiderantes
affectibus, giving Dominican Inquisitor Heinrich Kramer explicit
authority to prosecute witchcraft in Germany.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Summis_desiderantes_affectibus>
1775:
American Revolutionary War: Continental Army Colonel Henry Knox
arrived at Fort Ticonderoga in New York to arrange the transport of
60 tons of artillery that would be used to strengthen the Siege of
Boston.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noble_train_of_artillery>
1936:
The 1936 Soviet Constitution, also known as the "Stalin"
constitution, was adopted.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1936_Soviet_Constitution>
1972:
Gough Whitlam took office as the 21st Prime Minister of
Australia and formed a duumvirate with his deputy Lance Barnard, ending
23 years of Liberal-Country Party government.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gough_Whitlam>
2005:
The Civil Partnership Act came into force, granting civil
partnerships in the United Kingdom with rights and responsibilities
identical to civil marriage.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civil_Partnership_Act_2004>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
archeress:
A female archer, a woman who shoots an arrow from a bow: Elizabeth
deigned to show her skill as an archeress, to the detriment of the
dappled deer in the wide park beyond (John Berwick Harwood).
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/archeress>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
The existing scientific concepts cover always only a very limited part
of reality, and the other part that has not yet been understood is
infinite.
--Werner Heisenberg
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Werner_Heisenberg>
Jesse L. Brown (1926–1950) was the first African-American naval
aviator in the United States Navy, and the first naval officer killed in
the Korean War. Born in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, to an impoverished
family, Brown had an avid interest in aircraft from a young age. After
graduating as salutatorian of his high school, he enlisted in the US
Navy in 1946 and became a midshipman one year later after finishing a
degree at Ohio State University. He earned his pilot wings on 21 October
1948, and was subsequently assigned to Fighter Squadron 32 aboard the
USS Leyte. At the outset of the Korean War, the Leyte was ordered to
the Korean Peninsula, arriving in October 1950. Brown flew 20 combat
missions before his F4U Corsair aircraft came under fire and crashed on
a remote mountaintop on 4 December 1950 during a mission supporting
ground troops at the Battle of Chosin Reservoir. Brown died of his
wounds in spite of efforts by wingman Thomas J. Hudner, Jr., who
intentionally crashed his aircraft attempting a rescue and was later
awarded the Medal of Honor. Brown's successes in the segregated US
military were memorialized in several books, and the frigate USS Jesse
L. Brown (FF-1089) was named in his honor.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jesse_L._Brown>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1872:
The American brigantine Mary Celeste was found apparently
abandoned under circumstances which to this day remain unknown.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Celeste>
1893:
First Matabele War: A patrol of British South Africa Company
soldiers was ambushed and annihilated by more than 3,000 Matabele
warriors.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shangani_Patrol>
1954:
The global hamburger fast food chain Burger King, known for its
signature item the Whopper, was founded in Miami, Florida, US.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Burger_King>
1979:
Bruce George Peter Lee set fire to a family home in Hull,
England; after his arrest he revealed that he had started nine other
fatal fires in the area.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bruce_George_Peter_Lee>
1992:
U.S. President George H. W. Bush ordered American troops into
Somalia to help provide humanitarian aid and restore order during the
ongoing Somali Civil War.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unified_Task_Force>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
intersperse:
1. To mix two things irregularly, placing things of one kind among things
of other; specifically:
2. To scatter or insert (something) into or among (other things), as Nature
interspersed dandelions among the petunias, or
3. To diversify (something) by placing or inserting other things among
(it), as Nature interspersed the petunias with dandelions.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/intersperse>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
You need to laugh more. Life is filled with too many problems, to not
laugh every day. ... We need to have a sense of humor going into this
because it's too tough without it.
--Ysabella Brave
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Ysabella_Brave>
The National Football League Players Association (NFLPA) is the labor
organization representing professional American football players in the
National Football League (NFL). Founded in 1956, it was established to
provide players with formal representation to negotiate compensation and
the terms of a collective bargaining agreement. In the early years of
the NFL, contractual negotiations took place between players and
management; team owners were reluctant to engage in collective
bargaining. A series of strikes and lockouts have occurred throughout
the union's existence largely due to monetary and benefit disputes
between the players and the owners. League rules that punished players
for playing in rival football leagues resulted in litigation; the
success of such lawsuits impelled the NFL to negotiate some work rules
and minimum payments with the NFLPA. It was recognized by the NFL as the
official bargaining agent for players in 1968. In addition to conducting
labor negotiations, the NFLPA represents and protects the rights of
players, ensures that the terms of the collective bargaining agreement
are adhered to by the league and the teams, and negotiates and monitors
retirement and insurance benefits.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Football_League_Players_Association>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1834:
The German Customs Union instituted the first regular census in
Germany.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Census_in_Germany>
1854:
At least 22 people were killed and 35 others were injured when
rebelling miners at the Eureka Stockade in Ballarat, Victoria,
Australia, clashed violently with the police and the military.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eureka_Rebellion>
1960:
The musical Camelot (Julie Andrews and Richard Burton
pictured), which would become associated with John F. Kennedy's
presidency, opened on Broadway.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camelot_(musical)>
1984:
Methyl isocyanate and other toxic chemicals were accidentally
released from the Union Carbide India Limited pesticide plant in Bhopal,
India, causing the world's largest industrial disaster.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bhopal_disaster>
1997:
Representatives from 121 countries signed the Ottawa Treaty
banning the use of anti-personnel land mines.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ottawa_Treaty>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
fleeting:
Passing quickly.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/fleeting>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
My task which I am trying to achieve is, by the power of the written
word, to make you hear, to make you feel — it is, before all, to make
you see. That — and no more, and it is everything. If I succeed, you
shall find there according to your deserts: encouragement, consolation,
fear, charm — all you demand; and, perhaps, also that glimpse of truth
for which you have forgotten to ask. in
--The Nigger of the 'Narcissus'
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/The_Nigger_of_the_%27Narcissus%27>