100px|Murasaki shown writing at her desk at Ishiyama-dera inspired by
the Moon, [[ukiyo-e by Suzuki Harunobu, c. 1767]]
Murasaki Shikibu (c. 973 – c. 1014 or 1025) was a Japanese novelist,
poet and lady-in-waiting at the Imperial court during the Heian period.
She is best known as the author of The Tale of Genji, written in
Japanese between about 1000 and 1012. In about 1005, Murasaki was
invited to serve as a lady-in-waiting to Empress Shōshi at the Imperial
court, probably because of her reputation as a writer. She continued to
write during her service, adding scenes from court life to her work.
After five or six years, she left court and retired with Shōshi to the
Lake Biwa region. Murasaki wrote The Diary of Lady Murasaki, a volume
of poetry, and The Tale of Genji. Within a decade of its completion,
Genji was distributed throughout the provinces; within a century it was
recognized as a classic of Japanese literature, and had become a
subject of scholarly criticism. Early in the 20th century her work was
translated; a six-volume English translation was completed in 1933.
Scholars continue to recognize the importance of her work, which
reflects Heian court society at its peak. (more...)
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_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1897:
Ranavalona III , the last sovereign ruler of the Kingdom of Madagascar,
was deposed by a French military force.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ranavalona_III>
1935:
Working with polyamides to developing a new viable fiber for the
chemical company DuPont, American chemist Wallace Carothers invented
nylon.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wallace_Carothers>
1972:
U.S. President Richard Nixon's visit to the People's Republic of China
concluded with the two countries issuing the Shanghai Communiqué,
pledging to work toward the full normalization of diplomatic relations.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1972_Nixon_visit_to_China>
1985:
The Troubles: The Provisional Irish Republican Army launched a mortar
attack on a Royal Ulster Constabulary station in Corry Square, Newry,
Northern Ireland, killing nine.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1985_Newry_mortar_attack>
1997:
In what has been has viewed as a "postmodern coup", the Turkish
Military leadership issued a memorandum that eventually precipitated
the retirement of Turkish Prime Minister Necmettin Erbakan.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1997_military_memorandum_%28Turkey%29>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
kettle of fish (n):
1. An awkward situation; a predicament.
2. A situation which is recognized as different from or as an
alternative to some other situation, and which is not necessarily
unfavorable
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/kettle_of_fish>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Science cannot be stopped. Man will gather knowledge no matter what the
consequences — and we cannot predict what they will be. Science will go
on — whether we are pessimistic, or are optimistic, as I am. I know
that great, interesting, and valuable discoveries can be made and will
be made… But I know also that still more interesting discoveries will
be made that I have not the imagination to describe — and I am awaiting
them, full of curiosity and enthusiasm.
--Linus Pauling
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Linus_Pauling>
100px|McCauley in 1953
John McCauley (1899–1989) was a senior commander in the Royal
Australian Air Force. He served as Chief of the Air Staff from 1954 to
1957. A Duntroon graduate, McCauley spent four years in the Australian
Military Forces before transferring to the RAAF in 1924. Having been
promoted to group captain in 1940, he was posted to Singapore in June
1941 to take charge of all RAAF units defending the area. He earned
praise for his efforts in attacking invading Japanese forces before the
fall of Singapore, and for his dedication in evacuating his men. He was
later appointed to a senior operational role with the Royal Air Force's
2nd Tactical Air Force in Europe, where he saw out the rest of the war.
In 1947 he was promoted to air vice marshal and appointed Chief of
Staff at British Commonwealth Occupation Force Headquarters in Japan.
He took up the position of Chief of the Air Staff in January 1954, and
was knighted a year later. During his tenure in the RAAF's senior role,
McCauley focused on potential deployments to Southeast
Asia—particularly Vietnam—and threats from the north, commencing
redevelopment of RAAF Base Darwin and recommending purchase of a light
supersonic bomber to replace the Air Force's English Electric Canberra.
After retiring from military life in March 1957, he chaired various
community and welfare organisations. (more...)
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_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1560:
The Treaty of Berwick was signed, which set the terms under which an
English fleet and army could come to Scotland to expel the French
troops who were defending the Regency of Mary of Guise.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty_of_Berwick_%281560%29>
1801:
Under the District of Columbia Organic Act of 1801, Washington, D.C., a
new planned city and capital of the United States, was placed under the
jurisdiction of the U.S. Congress.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Washington%2C_D.C.>
1812:
Manuel Belgrano raised the Flag of Argentina, which he designed, for
the first time in the city of Rosario, during the Argentine War of
Independence.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manuel_Belgrano>
1940:
American biochemists Martin Kamen and Sam Ruben discovered the
radioactive isotope carbon-14, which today is used extensively as the
basis of the radiocarbon dating method to date archaeological,
geological, and hydrogeological samples.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/carbon-14>
1982:
The D'Oyly Carte Opera Company, known for its performances of Gilbert
and Sullivan's Savoy operas, gave its last performance.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/D%27Oyly_Carte_Opera_Company>
2002:
A Sabarmati Express train was set on fire right after it left the train
station in Godhra, India, killing more than 55 Hindu pilgrims.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Godhra_train_burning>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
postremogeniture (n):
Inheritance by the last-born child of the entirety of, or of a
privileged position in, a parent’s wealth, estate, or office
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/postremogeniture>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Every great poem is in itself limited by necessity, — but in its
suggestions unlimited and infinite.
--Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Henry_Wadsworth_Longfellow>
100px|Portrait of Alboin from the Nuremberg Chronicle
Alboin (530s–572) was king of the Lombards from about 560 until 572.
During his reign the Lombards ended their migrations by settling in
Italy. He had a lasting impact on Italy and the Pannonian Basin. The
period of Alboin's reign as king in Pannonia following the death of his
father, Audoin, was one of confrontation and conflict between the
Lombards and their main neighbors, the Gepids. The Gepids initially
gained the upper hand, but in 567, thanks to his alliance with the
Avars, Alboin inflicted a decisive defeat on his enemies, whose lands
the Avars subsequently occupied. The increasing power of his new
neighbours caused Alboin some unease however, and he therefore decided
to leave Pannonia for Italy, hoping to take advantage of the Byzantine
Empire's reduced ability to defend its territory in the wake of the
Gothic War. After succeeding in gathering together a large coalition of
peoples, Alboin began his trek in 568. After crossing the Julian Alps
he entered an almost undefended Italy, and rapidly took control of most
of Venetia and Liguria. In 569, unopposed, he took northern Italy's
main city, Milan. Pavia offered stiff resistance however, and was only
taken after a siege lasting three years. During that time Alboin turned
his attention to Tuscany, but signs of factionalism among his
supporters and Alboin's diminishing control over his army increasingly
began to manifest themselves. Alboin was assassinated on June 28, 572,
in a coup d'état instigated by the Byzantines. (more...)
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_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1909:
The first films made with Kinemacolor, the earliest successful colour
motion picture process, were shown to the British general public.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kinemacolor>
1917:
New Orleans' Original Dixieland Jass Band recorded "Livery Stable
Blues", the first jazz single ever released.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Livery_Stable_Blues>
1946:
Finnish observers reported the first sightings of unidentified flying
objects known as "ghost rockets", which have not yet been positively
identified.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ghost_rockets>
1952:
Vincent Massey was sworn in as the first Canadian-born Governor General
of Canada.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vincent_Massey>
1991:
British computer programmer Tim Berners-Lee introduced WorldWideWeb,
the world's first web browser and WYSIWYG HTML editor.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WorldWideWeb>
1995:
Barings Bank, the oldest merchant bank in London, collapsed after its
head derivatives trader in Singapore, Nick Leeson, lost £827 million
while making unauthorized speculative trades on futures contracts.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nick_Leeson>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
apologia (n):
A written defense of a position or belief
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/apologia>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
God manifests himself to us in the first degree through the life of the
universe, and in the second degree through the thought of man. The
second manifestation is not less holy than the first. The first is
named Nature, the second is named Art.
--Victor Hugo
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Victor_Hugo>
"Hey Baby" is a song written by Gwen Stefani, Tony Kanal, Tom Dumont,
and Bounty Killer for No Doubt's fifth studio album Rock Steady (2001).
Released as the album's lead single, the song is heavily influenced by
the Jamaican dancehall music present at No Doubt's post-show parties
and tour bus lounges of their Return of Saturn tour. Its lyrics
describe the debauchery with groupies at these parties. The song
received positive reviews from music critics, though the song's
dancehall influences had a mixed reception. It was released as the
album's lead single in October 2001. The single was commercially
successful and peaked at number five on the Billboard Hot 100. At the
45th Grammy Awards, "Hey Baby" won a Grammy Award for Best Pop
Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal. (more...)
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_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1866:
Miners in Calaveras County, California, discovered a human skull (later
revealed to be a hoax) that a prominent geologist claimed was proof
that humans had existed in North America during the Pliocene age.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calaveras_Skull>
1948:
Fearful of civil war and Soviet intervention in recent unrest,
Czechoslovakian president Edvard Beneš ceded control over the
government to the Communist Party.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Czechoslovak_coup_d%27%C3%A9tat_of_1948>
1951:
After being postponed since 1943 due to World War II, the first Pan
American Games opened in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pan_American_Games>
1992:
Nagorno-Karabakh War: Armenian armed forces killed 613 ethnic
Azerbaijani civilians from the town of Khojali in the Nagorno-Karabakh
region of Azerbaijan.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khojaly_Massacre>
2009:
Members of the Bangladesh Rifles mutinied at its headquarters in
Pilkhana, Dhaka, Bangladesh, resulting in 74 deaths.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2009_Bangladesh_Rifles_revolt>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
pipette (n):
A small glass tube, often with an enlargement or bulb in the middle,
and usually graduated, used for transferring or delivering measured
quantities of a liquid
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/pipette>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
77px
If there is victory in overcoming the enemy, there is a greater
victory when a man overcomes himself.
--José de San Martín
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_de_San_Mart%C3%ADn>
100px|Malmö FF line up prior to a match against FC Metalist Kharkiv
Malmö FF are a Swedish professional football club based in Malmö. The
club play their home matches at Swedbank Stadion. Formed on 24 February
1910, the club have won sixteen national championship titles and
fourteen national cup titles, making them the most successful club in
Sweden in terms of total trophies won. Malmö FF have also won the top
tier league, Allsvenskan, on three occasions when the title of Swedish
champions was not decided by the outcome of that league. They were the
runners-up in the 1978–79 European Cup final, which they lost 1–0 to
English club Nottingham Forest. This feat makes them the only
Scandinavian club to have made it to the final of the most prestigious
club competition in European football, presently named the UEFA
Champions League. The club are currently playing in Allsvenskan, where
the season lasts from April to October in contrast to a majority of
other European national football leagues where the season lasts from
August to May the following year. The club first won Allsvenskan in
1944 and most recently for the club's centennial anniversary in 2010.
Malmö FF were most successful during the 1970s, when they won five
Swedish championships and four Svenska Cupen titles. (more...)
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_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1525:
A Spanish-Imperial army defeated a French force in the Battle of Pavia
in Pavia, present-day Italy, the decisive engagement of the Italian War
of 1521–1526.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Pavia>
1809:
After standing only 15 years, London's Drury Lane theatre, the third
building of that name, burned down , leaving owner Richard Brinsley
Sheridan destitute.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theatre_Royal%2C_Drury_Lane>
1831:
The Treaty of Dancing Rabbit Creek between the Choctaw and the United
States government, the first removal treaty carried into effect under
the Indian Removal Act, was proclaimed.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty_of_Dancing_Rabbit_Creek>
1875:
The steamship SS Gothenburg hit a section of the Great Barrier Reef at
low tide and sank about 50 kilometres (31 mi) northwest of Holbourne
Island, Queensland, Australia, with the loss of over 100 lives.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SS_Gothenburg>
1989:
United Airlines Flight 811 experienced a cargo door failure in flight
after leaving Honolulu International Airport, Hawaii, causing a
decompression that blew out several rows of seats and killed nine
passengers.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Airlines_Flight_811>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
vulcanize (v):
To treat rubber with heat and (usually) sulphur to harden it and make
it more durable
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/vulcanize>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
God grant me the courage not to give up what I think is right even
though I think it is hopeless.
--Chester W. Nimitz
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Chester_W._Nimitz>
100px|W. E. B. Du Bois in 1918
W. E. B. Du Bois (1868–1963) was an American civil rights activist,
author, and editor. After graduating from Harvard, where he was the
first African American to earn a doctorate, he became a professor of
history, sociology, and economics at Atlanta University. Du Bois, one
of the co-founders of the National Association for the Advancement of
Colored People, rose to national prominence as the leader of the
Niagara Movement, a group of African-American activists who wanted
equal rights for blacks. Racism was the main target of Du Bois's
polemics, and he strongly protested against lynching, Jim Crow laws,
and discrimination in education and employment. He was a proponent of
Pan-Africanism and helped organize efforts to free African colonies
from European powers. Du Bois wrote several seminal essays and
treatises, and published many influential pieces in his role as editor
of the NAACP's journal The Crisis. He was an ardent peace activist and
advocated nuclear disarmament. The United States' Civil Rights Act,
embodying many of the reforms for which Du Bois had campaigned his
entire life, was enacted one year after his death. (more...)
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_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1739:
The identity of English highwayman Dick Turpin, who had been living
under an alias in York, was uncovered by his former schoolteacher, who
recognised his handwriting, leading to Turpin's arrest.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dick_Turpin>
1944:
In response to an insurgency in Chechnya, the Soviet Union began the
forced deportation of native Chechen and Ingush populations of North
Caucasus to Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Lentil_%28Caucasus%29>
1945:
American photographer Joe Rosenthal took the Pulitzer Prize-winning
photograph Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima during the Battle of Iwo Jima,
an image that was later reproduced as the U.S. Marine Corps War
Memorial .
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raising_the_Flag_on_Iwo_Jima>
1947:
The International Organization for Standardization, responsible for
worldwide industrial and commercial standards, was founded.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Organization_for_Standardization>
1987:
Light from the supernova SN 1987A in the Large Magellanic Cloud reached
the Earth.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SN_1987A>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
petrology (n):
(geology) The study of the origin, composition and structure of rock
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/petrology>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
There can be no rainbow without a cloud and a storm.
--John Heyl Vincent
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/John_Heyl_Vincent>
The Nyon Conference was a diplomatic conference held in Nyon,
Switzerland, in September 1937 to address attacks on international
shipping in the Mediterranean Sea during the Spanish Civil War. The
conference was convened in part because Italy had been carrying out
unrestricted submarine warfare, although the final conference agreement
did not accuse Italy directly; instead, the attacks were referred to as
"piracy" by an unidentified body. Italy was not officially at war, nor
did any submarine identify itself. The conference was designed to
strengthen non-intervention in the Spanish Civil War. The United
Kingdom and France led the conference, which was also attended by
Bulgaria, Egypt, Greece, Romania, Turkey, the Soviet Union and
Yugoslavia. The first agreement, signed on 14 September, included plans
to counterattack aggressive submarines. Naval patrols were established;
the United Kingdom and France were to patrol most of the western
Mediterranean and parts of the east, and the other signatories were to
patrol their own waters. Italy was to be allowed to join the agreement
and patrol the Tyrrhenian Sea if it wished. A second agreement followed
three days later, applying similar provisions to surface ships. Italy
and Nazi Germany did not attend, although the former did take up naval
patrols in November. In marked contrast to the Non-Intervention
Committee and the League of Nations, this conference did succeed in
preventing attacks by submarines. (more...)
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_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1632:
Galileo's Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems, in which he
advocated Copernican heliocentrism, was delivered to his patron, Grand
Duke Ferdinando.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dialogue_Concerning_the_Two_Chief_World_Systems>
1876:
The Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland , named after
philanthropist Johns Hopkins, who gave the largest philanthropic
bequest in U.S. history for its foundation, opened.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johns_Hopkins_University>
1958:
Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser and Syrian President Shukri
al-Quwatli signed a union pact to form the United Arab Republic.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Arab_Republic>
1983:
The play Moose Murders opened and closed on the same night at the
Eugene O'Neill Theatre in New York City, becoming the standard of
"awfulness" against which all Broadway theatre failures are judged.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moose_Murders>
2006:
At least six men staged Britain's biggest cash robbery ever, stealing
£53,116,760 in bank notes from a Securitas depot in Tonbridge, Kent.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Securitas_depot_robbery>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
rheum (n):
(physiology) A watery or thin discharge of serum or mucus, especially
from the eyes or nose
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/rheum>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
444px
The world stands out on either side
No wider than the heart is
wide;
Above the world is stretched the sky, —
No higher than the soul is
high.
The heart can push the sea and land
Farther away on either hand;
The
soul can split the sky in two,
And let the face of God shine through.
But East and West will pinch
the heart
That can not keep them pushed apart;
And he whose soul is flat — the
sky
Will cave in on him by and by.
--Edna St. Vincent Millay
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Edna_St._Vincent_Millay>
100px|The Church of St Nicholas, photographed from the south east
St Nicholas is the Anglican parish church of Blakeney, Norfolk, in
the deanery of Holt and the Diocese of Norwich. It stands just inland
from, and about 30 m (100 ft) above the small port. Of the original
13th-century building only the chancel remains, the rest having been
rebuilt in the prosperous 15th century; the chancel may have survived
owing to its link to the nearby friary. Unusual architectural features
include a second tower, used as a beacon, at its east end, a stepped
seven-light window in the chancel, and a hammerbeam roof in the nave.
Much of the original church furniture was lost in the Reformation, but
a late-Victorian restoration recreated something of the original
appearance, as well as repairing and refacing the building. Nine Arts
and Crafts windows by James Powell and Sons are featured on the east
and south sides of the church, and the north porch has two modern
blue-themed windows. St Nicholas contains some notable memorials,
including several plaques for the Blakeney lifeboats and their crews,
and much pre-Reformation graffiti, particularly depictions of ships.
(more...)
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_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1804:
Built by Cornish inventor Richard Trevithick, the first self-propelled
steam locomotive first ran in Wales.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/steam_locomotive>
1848:
The Communist Manifesto by communist theorists Karl Marx and Friedrich
Engels was first published, becoming one of the world's most
influential political tracts.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Communist_Manifesto>
1948:
Bill France, Sr. and several other race car drivers founded NASCAR, the
governing body of stock car racing in the United States.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NASCAR>
1958:
British artist Gerald Holtom designed a logo for the Campaign for
Nuclear Disarmament that became more commonly known as the peace
symbol.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peace_symbols>
1973:
After accidentally having strayed into Israeli airspace, Libyan Arab
Airlines Flight 114 was shot down by two Israeli fighter planes.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Libyan_Arab_Airlines_Flight_114>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
homoglyph (n):
A character identical or nearly identical in appearance to another, but
which differs in the meaning it represents
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/homoglyph>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
88px
We are beginning to see the influence of dream upon reality and
reality upon dream.
--Anaïs Nin
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Ana%C3%AFs_Nin>
100px|Pfluger Fountain at Texas Tech University
Texas Tech University is a public research university in Lubbock,
Texas, United States. Established on February 10, 1923, and originally
known as Texas Technological College, it is the leading institution of
the Texas Tech University System and has the seventh largest student
body in the state of Texas. With 1,839 acres (7.44 km2), it has the
second largest contiguous campus in the United States and is the only
school in Texas to house an undergraduate institution, law school, and
medical school at the same location. The university offers degrees in
more than 150 courses of study through 13 colleges and hosts 60
research centers and institutes. The Carnegie Foundation classifies
Texas Tech as having "high research activity". The Texas Tech Red
Raiders are charter members of the Big 12 Conference and compete in
Division I for all varsity sports. (more...)
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_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1472:
James III of Scotland officially annexed Orkney and Shetland from
Christian I of Denmark as part of a dowry payment Christian owed after
his daughter Margaret married James.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Orkney>
1943:
A fissure opened in a cornfield in the Mexican state of Michoacán and
turned into the cinder cone volcano Parícutin , growing 424 m
(1,391 ft) in eight years.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Par%C3%ADcutin>
1988:
The Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast voted to secede from Azerbaijan
and join Armenia, triggering the Nagorno-Karabakh War.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nagorno-Karabakh_War>
1998:
At the age of 15, American figure skater Tara Lipinski became the
youngest gold medal winner in the history of the Winter Olympic Games.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tara_Lipinski>
2010:
Severe flooding and mudslides on the island of Madeira, Portugal,
killed 42 people.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2010_Madeira_floods_and_mudslides>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
de novo (adj):
[[anew
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/de_novo>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
I will, in the name of humanity which is outraged, in the name of
liberty which is fettered, in the name of the constitution and the
Bible, which are disregarded and trampled upon, dare to call in
question and to denounce, with all the emphasis I can command,
everything that serves to perpetuate slavery — the great sin and shame
of America! "I will not equivocate; I will not excuse;" I will use the
severest language I can command; and yet not one word shall escape me
that any man, whose judgement is not blinded by prejudice, or who is
not at heart a slaveholder, shall not confess to be right and just.
--Frederick Douglass
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Frederick_Douglass>
Baldwin of Forde (c. 1125 – 1190) was Archbishop of Canterbury between
1185 and 1190. The son of a clergyman, he studied canon law and
theology at Bologna and was tutor to Pope Eugene III's nephew before
returning to England to serve successive bishops of Exeter. After
becoming a Cistercian monk he was named abbot of his monastery, and
subsequently elected to the episcopate at Worcester. Before becoming a
bishop, he wrote theological works and sermons, some of which have
survived. As a bishop Baldwin came to the attention of King Henry II of
England, who was so impressed he insisted that Baldwin become
archbishop. In that office, Baldwin quarrelled with his cathedral
clergy over the founding of a church, which led to the imprisonment of
the clergy in their cloister for more than a year. Baldwin spent some
time in Wales with Gerald of Wales, preaching and raising money for the
Third Crusade. After the coronation of King Richard I of England, the
new king sent Baldwin ahead to the Holy Land, where he became embroiled
in the politics of the Kingdom of Jerusalem. Baldwin died in the Holy
Land while participating in the crusade; his long-running dispute with
his clergy led one chronicler to characterise Baldwin as more damaging
to Christianity than Saladin. (more...)
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Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baldwin_of_Forde>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1766:
A mutiny by captive Madagascans began at sea on the slave ship Meermin,
leading to the ship's destruction, and subsequent rulings in the Dutch
East India Company's Council of Justice were a "huge step in the
recognition of oppressed people as free-thinking individuals."
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meermin_slave_mutiny>
1878:
Competition between two merchants in Lincoln County, New Mexico
Territory, US, turned into a range war when a member of one faction was
murdered by the other.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lincoln_County_War>
1942:
World War II: The Imperial Japanese Army began the systematic
extermination of perceived hostile elements among Chinese Singaporeans.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sook_Ching_massacre>
1943:
Joseph Goebbels , Hitler's propaganda minister, delivered the
Sportpalast speech to motivate the German people when the tide of World
War II was turning against Germany.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sportpalast_speech>
2010:
Rebels attacked the presidential palace in Niamey, Niger, and replaced
President Mamadou Tandja with a ruling junta, the Supreme Council for
the Restoration of Democracy.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2010_Nigerien_coup_d%27%C3%A9tat>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
commiserate (v):
Feel or express compassion or sympathy for (someone or something)
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/commiserate>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
The Great Spirit does not toil within the bounds of human time, place,
or casualty.
The Great Spirit is superior to these human questionings. It teems
with many rich and wandering drives which to our shallow minds seem
contradictory; but in the essence of divinity they fraternize and
struggle together, faithful comrades-in-arms.
The primordial Spirit branches out, overflows, struggles, fails,
succeeds, trains itself. It is the Rose of the Winds.
--Nikos Kazantzakis
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Nikos_Kazantzakis>