C. D. Howe (1886–1960) was a powerful Canadian Cabinet minister of the
Liberal Party. He is credited with transforming the Canadian economy
from agriculture-based to industrial. Born in Massachusetts, Howe moved
to Nova Scotia as a young adult to take up a professorship at Dalhousie
University. After working for the Canadian government as an engineer, he
began his own firm, and became a wealthy man. In 1935, he was recruited
as a Liberal candidate for the Canadian House of Commons by then
Opposition leader Mackenzie King. The Liberals won the election in a
landslide, and Howe won his seat. Mackenzie King appointed him to the
Cabinet. There, he took major parts in many new enterprises, including
the founding of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation and Trans-Canada
Air Lines. When World War II began in 1939, Howe played a crucial role
in Canada's war effort, and recruited many corporate executives to serve
in wartime enterprises. Howe's impatience with the necessity for
parliamentary debate of his proposals won him few friends, and he was
often accused of dictatorial conduct by the Opposition. In the 1957
election, Howe's actions and policies were made an issue by Opposition
leader John Diefenbaker. He lost his seat in the election, and
Diefenbaker became Prime Minister, ending almost 22 years of Liberal
rule.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C._D._Howe>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1217:
In the last land battle of the First Barons' War, William the
Marshal drove Prince Louis of France out of England.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Lincoln_(1217)>
1609:
Thomas Thorpe published the first copies of Shakespeare's
sonnets, possibly without William Shakespeare's consent.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shakespeare%27s_sonnets>
1873:
Clothing manufacturer Levi Strauss and tailor Jacob Davis were
granted a patent for using copper rivets to strengthen the pockets of
denim overalls, allowing their company to start manufacturing their
first line of blue jeans.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Levi_Strauss>
1983:
A team of researchers led by French virologist Luc Montagnier
published their discovery of HIV, although they did not know yet if it
caused AIDS.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luc_Montagnier>
2002:
East Timor gained independence from Indonesia, becoming the
first new sovereign state of the 21st century.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/East_Timor>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
much of a muchness:
(idiomatic) Of two or more things, having little difference of any
significance between them.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/much_of_a_muchness>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
To saunter is to enjoy life; it is to indulge the flight of fancy; it is
to enjoy the sublime pictures of misery, of love, of joy, of gracious or
grotesque physiognomies; it is to pierce with a glance the abysses of a
thousand existences; for the young it is to desire all, and to possess
all; for the old it is to live the life of the youthful, and to share
their passions.
--Honoré de Balzac
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Honor%C3%A9_de_Balzac>
The indigenous people of the Everglades region arrived in the Florida
peninsula approximately 15,000 years ago, probably following large
game. The Paleo-Indians found an arid landscape that supported plants
and animals adapted to desert conditions. Climate changes 6,500 years
ago brought a wetter landscape, and the Paleo-Indians slowly adapted to
the new conditions. Archaeologists call the cultures that resulted from
the adaptations Archaic peoples, from whom two major tribes emerged in
the area: the Calusa and the Tequesta. The earliest written descriptions
of these people come from Spanish explorers who sought to convert and
conquer them. After more than 200 years of relations with the Spanish,
both indigenous societies lost cohesiveness. Official records indicate
that survivors of war and disease were transported to Havana in the late
18th century. Isolated groups may have been assimilated into the
Seminole nation, which formed in northern Florida when a band of Creeks
consolidated surviving members of pre-Columbian societies in Florida
into their own to become a distinct tribe. Seminoles were forced into
the Everglades by the U.S. military during the Seminole Wars from 1835
to 1842. The U.S. military pursued the Seminoles into the region, which
resulted in some of the first recorded explorations of much of the area.
Seminoles continue to live in the Everglades region, and support
themselves with casino gaming on six reservations located throughout the
state.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indigenous_people_of_the_Everglades_region>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1499:
Thirteen-year-old Catherine of Aragon, the future first wife of
Henry VIII of England, was married by proxy to his brother, 15-year-old
Arthur, Prince of Wales (pictured).
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catherine_of_Aragon>
1780:
A combination of thick smoke, fog, and heavy cloud cover caused
darkness to fall on parts of Canada and the New England area of the
United States by noon.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_England%27s_Dark_Day>
1817:
The Articles of Association of the Bank of Montreal in
Montreal, Quebec, Canada's oldest chartered bank, were adopted.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bank_of_Montreal>
1962:
During a televised birthday celebration for U.S. President John
F. Kennedy at New York City's Madison Square Garden, actress and model
Marilyn Monroe performed her infamous rendition of "Happy Birthday to
You".
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Happy_Birthday,_Mr._President>
1991:
Despite a boycott by the local Serb population, voters in
Croatia passed a referendum supporting independence from the Socialist
Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Croatian_independence_referendum,_1991>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
front runner:
(idiomatic) The most likely winners in a contest, election, etc.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/front_runner>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
I have found out that the real essentials of greatness in men are not
written in books, nor can they be found in the schools, They are written
into the inner consciousness of everyone who intensely searches for
perfection in creative achievement and are understandable to such men
only.
--Walter Russell
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Walter_Russell>
Blakeney Chapel is a ruined building on the Norfolk coast of England.
Despite its name, it is in the parish of Cley next the Sea, not the
adjoining village of Blakeney, and was probably not a chapel. The
building stood on a raised mound or "eye" on the seaward end of the
coastal marshes, less than 200 m (220 yd) from the sea and just to the
north of the current channel of the River Glaven where it turns to run
parallel to the shoreline. It consisted of two rectangular rooms of
unequal size, and appears to be intact in a 1586 map, but is shown as
ruins in later charts. Only the foundations and part of a wall still
remain. A small hearth, probably used for smelting iron, is the only
evidence of a specific activity on the site. Much of the structural
material was long ago carried off for reuse in buildings in Cley and
Blakeney. The surviving ruins are protected as a scheduled monument and
Grade II listed building because of their historical importance, but
there is no active management. The ever-present threat from the
encroaching sea will accelerate following a realignment of the Glaven's
course through the marshes and lead inevitably to the loss of the ruins.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blakeney_Chapel>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1863:
American Civil War: General Ulysses S. Grant led his Army of
the Tennessee across the Big Black River in preparation for the Siege of
Vicksburg.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siege_of_Vicksburg>
1912:
The first Indian film, Shree Pundalik by Dadasaheb Torne, was
released.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cinema_of_India>
1936:
In a crime that shocked Japan, Sada Abe strangled her lover
Kichizo Ishida, cut off his genitals, and carried them around with her
for several days until her arrest.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sada_Abe>
1965:
Eli Cohen, a spy who is credited with facilitating Israel's
success in the Six-Day War against Syria, was publicly hanged after
having been captured four months earlier.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eli_Cohen>
2005:
A second photo by the Hubble Space Telescope confirmed the
discovery of two new moons of Pluto: Nix and Hydra.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydra_(moon)>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
upend:
1. (transitive) To end up; to set on end.
2. To tip or turn over.
3. To destroy, invalidate, overthrow, or defeat.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/upend>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Modern methods of production have given us the possibility of ease and
security for all; we have chosen, instead, to have overwork for some and
starvation for the others. Hitherto we have continued to be as energetic
as we were before there were machines; in this we have been foolish, but
there is no reason to go on being foolish for ever.
--Bertrand Russell
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Bertrand_Russell>
The Well of Loneliness is a 1928 lesbian novel by the British author
Radclyffe Hall. It follows the life of Stephen Gordon, an Englishwoman
from an upper-class family whose "sexual inversion" (homosexuality) is
apparent from an early age. She finds love with Mary Llewellyn, whom she
meets while serving as an ambulance driver in World War I, but their
happiness together is marred by social isolation and rejection, which
Hall depicts as having a debilitating effect on inverts. The novel
portrays inversion as a natural, God-given state and makes an explicit
plea: "Give us also the right to our existence". The novel became the
target of a campaign by James Douglas, editor of the Sunday Express
newspaper, who wrote "I would rather give a healthy boy or a healthy
girl a phial of prussic acid than this novel." Although its only sexual
reference consists of the words "and that night, they were not divided",
a British court judged it obscene because it defended "unnatural
practices between women". In the United States the book survived legal
challenges in New York state and in Customs Court.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Well_of_Loneliness>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1590:
Anne of Denmark was crowned Queen consort of Scotland in the
abbey church at Holyrood Palace.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anne_of_Denmark>
1863:
Rosalía de Castro published Cantares gallegos, a collection of
her poetry, the first book in the Galician language.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosal%C3%ADa_de_Castro>
1914:
Albania officially recognized the area of Northern Epirus as an
autonomous region within the Albanian state, which was never established
due to World War I.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Protocol_of_Corfu>
1995:
After 18 years as Mayor of Paris, Jacques Chirac was
inaugurated as President of France.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacques_Chirac>
2004:
Massachusetts became the first U.S. state to legalize same-sex
marriage.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Same-sex_marriage_in_Massachusetts>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
morpheme:
(linguistics) The smallest linguistic unit within a word that can carry
a meaning, such as "un-", "break", and "-able" in the word
"unbreakable".
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/morpheme>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Affection is the greatest of human feelings because it is made of
respect, of lucidity, and light. To understand the truth and make one's
self equal to it is everything; and to love is the same thing as to know
and to understand. Affection, which I call also compassion, because I
see no difference between them, dominates everything by reason of its
clear sight. It is a sentiment as immense as if it were mad, and yet it
is wise, and of human things it is the only perfect one. There is no
great sentiment which is not completely held on the arms of compassion.
--Henri Barbusse
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Henri_Barbusse>
A cockatoo is any of the 21 species belonging to the bird family
Cacatuidae. Along with the Psittacoidea (true parrots) and the
Strigopoidea (large New Zealand parrots), they make up the parrot order
Psittaciformes. Cockatoos are instantly recognisable by their showy
crests and curved bills. Their plumage is generally less colourful than
that of other parrots, being mainly white, grey, or black, and often
with coloured features in the crest, cheeks, or tail. On average they
are larger than other parrots. Cockatoos prefer to eat seeds, tubers,
corms, fruit, flowers and insects. They often feed in large flocks,
particularly when ground-feeding. Cockatoos are monogamous and nest in
tree hollows. Some cockatoo species have been adversely affected by
habitat loss, particularly from a shortage of suitable nesting hollows
after large mature trees are cleared; conversely, some species have
adapted well to human changes and are considered agricultural pests.
Cockatoos are popular birds in aviculture, but their needs are difficult
to cater for. The Cockatiel is the cockatoo species that is easiest to
care for and is by far the most frequently kept in captivity.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cockatoo>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1811:
Peninsular War: An allied force of British, Spanish, and
Portuguese troops clashed with the French at the Battle of Albuera south
of Badajoz, Spain.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Albuera>
1843:
The first major wagon train heading for the Pacific Northwest
set out on the Oregon Trail (reenactment pictured) with a thousand
pioneers from Elm Grove, Missouri.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oregon_Trail>
1918:
The Sedition Act was passed in the United States, forbidding
Americans from using "disloyal, profane, scurrilous, or abusive
language" about the United States government, flag, or armed forces
during the ongoing World War I.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sedition_Act_of_1918>
1943:
Royal Air Force Dambusters embarked on a raid to deploy
bouncing bombs on German dams in Operation Chastise during the Second
World War.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Chastise>
1961:
The Military Revolution Committee, led by Park Chung-hee,
carried out a bloodless coup against the government of Yun Bo-seon,
ending the Second Republic of South Korea.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/May_16_coup>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
hue and cry:
1. (historical) The public pursuit of a felon; accompanied by shouts to
warn others to give chase.
2. (by extension) A loud and persistent public clamour; especially one of
protest or making some demand.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/hue_and_cry>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Must then a Christ perish in torment in every age to save those that
have no imagination?
--George Bernard Shaw
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/George_Bernard_Shaw>
Sky Blue Sky is the sixth studio album by Chicago rock band Wilco
(pictured), released on May 15, 2007, by Nonesuch Records. Originally
announced on January 17, 2007, at a show in Nashville, Tennessee, it was
the band's first studio album with guitarist Nels Cline and multi-
instrumentalist Pat Sansone. Before its release, the band streamed the
entire album on its official website and offered a free download of
"What Light". Sky Blue Sky was Wilco's highest-debuting album on the
Billboard 200 at number four. The self-produced album received mostly
favorable reviews by critics. Publications such as PopMatters and
Rolling Stone praised its maturity, while PlayLouder and Pitchfork Media
criticized its "dad-rock" sound. While some critics praised the direct
lyrical approach, others criticized it when compared to previous Wilco
albums. The band licensed six songs from the Sky Blue Sky sessions to a
Volkswagen advertisement campaign, a move that generated criticism from
fans and the media.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sky_Blue_Sky>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
392:
Roman emperor Valentinian II (statue pictured) was found hanged
in his residence in Vienne, Gaul.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valentinian_II>
1602:
English explorer Bartholomew Gosnold led the first recorded
European expedition to visit Cape Cod in present-day Massachusetts.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bartholomew_Gosnold>
1793:
Inventor Diego Marín Aguilera, the "father of aviation" in
Spain, flew one of the first gliders for about 360 m (1,180 ft).
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diego_Mar%C3%ADn_Aguilera>
1850:
Members of the 1st Cavalry Regiment of the United States
Cavalry massacred at least 135 Pomo Indians in Lake County, California.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bloody_Island_Massacre>
1948:
The Australian cricket team set a first-class world record that
still stands by scoring 721 runs in a day against Essex.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australian_cricket_team_in_England_in_1948>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
plangent:
Having a loud, mournful sound.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/plangent>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
To be individual, my friends, to be different from others, is the only
way to become distinguished from the common herd. Let us be glad,
therefore, that we differ from one another in form and in disposition.
Variety is the spice of life, and we are various enough to enjoy one
another's society; so let us be content.
--L. Frank Baum
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/L._Frank_Baum>
Limbo is a puzzle-platform video game and the premiere title of
independent Danish game developer Playdead. The game was released in
July 2010 as a platform exclusive title on Xbox Live Arcade, and was
later ported to the PlayStation Network and Microsoft Windows via Steam.
Limbo is a 2D sidescroller, incorporating the physics system Box2D to
govern environmental objects and the player character. The player guides
an unnamed boy through dangerous environments and traps as the boy
searches for his sister. The developer built the game's puzzles
expecting the player to fail before finding the correct solution.
Playdead called the style of play "trial and death", and used visually
gruesome imagery for the boy's deaths to steer the player from
unworkable solutions. The game is presented primarily in monochromatic
black-and-white tones, using lighting, film grain effects and minimal
ambient sounds to create an eerie atmosphere often associated with the
horror genre. Limbo received positive reviews, but its minimal story
polarised critics. A common point of criticism from reviewers was that
the high cost of the game relative to its short length might deter
players from purchasing the title. The title was the third-highest
selling game on the Xbox Live Arcade service in 2010, generating around
$7.5 million in revenue. The title won several awards from industry
groups after its release, and was named as one of the top games for 2010
by several publications.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Limbo_(video_game)>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1846:
The United States declared war on Mexico after a series of
disputes in the wake of the 1845 U.S. annexation of Texas, starting the
Mexican–American War.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mexican%E2%80%93American_War>
1913:
Russian American Igor Sikorsky flew the world's first multi-
engine fixed-wing aircraft, the Russky Vityaz (pictured), which he
designed himself.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Igor_Sikorsky>
1967:
Zakir Hussain took office as the first elected Muslim President
of India.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zakir_Hussain_(politician)>
1972:
The Troubles: A car bomb planted by loyalists exploded outside
a crowded pub in Belfast, Northern Ireland, beginning two days of gun
battles between the British Army, the Irish Republican Army, and the
Ulster Volunteer Force.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_at_Springmartin>
1981:
Mehmet Ali Ağca shot and critically wounded Pope John Paul II
in Saint Peter's Square, Vatican City.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_John_Paul_II_assassination_attempt>
2000:
A fireworks factory in Enschede, the Netherlands, exploded,
resulting in 22 deaths and approximately €450 million in damage.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enschede_fireworks_disaster>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
mama bear:
(slang) A woman, especially a mother, who is extremely protective of a
child or children.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/mama_bear>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
The thing that has never happened before is still happening. It is still
a miracle. in
--Lord of Light
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Lord_of_Light>
Katharine Hepburn (1907–2003) was an American actress of film, stage,
and television. Known for her headstrong independence and spirited
personality, Hepburn's career as a Hollywood leading lady spanned more
than 60 years. She won a record four Academy Awards, and in 1999 was
named by the American Film Institute as Hollywood's top female legend.
Hepburn began acting in college, and spent four years in the theatre
before entering films in 1932. She became an instant star, but after a
series of unsuccessful films was named "box office poison". The
Philadelphia Story revived her career, and she subsequently formed a
popular alliance with Spencer Tracy that lasted 25 years. In middle age
Hepburn found a niche playing spinsters, such as in The African Queen,
and became a Shakespearean stage actress. She continued to work into old
age, making her final screen appearance in 1994 at the age of 87.
Hepburn is remembered as an important cultural figure, as she came to
epitomize the "modern woman" in 20th-century America and helped change
perceptions of women.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Katharine_Hepburn>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1588:
An apparently spontaneous public uprising arose in staunchly
Catholic Paris against the moderate policies of Henry III.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Day_of_the_Barricades>
1926:
The Trades Union Congress, a federation of British trade
unions, announced that it would end its week-long general strike "in
defence of [coal] miners' wages and hours".
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1926_United_Kingdom_general_strike>
1942:
World War II: Soviet forces under Marshal Semyon Timoshenko
launched a major offensive in the eastern Ukraine, only to be encircled
and destroyed by German troops two weeks later.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Battle_of_Kharkov>
1998:
Four students were shot and killed at Trisakti University in
Indonesia, leading to widespread riots and eventually the fall of
Suharto.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trisakti_shootings>
2008:
In Postville, Iowa, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement
conducted the largest-ever raid of a workplace and arrested nearly 400
immigrants for identity theft and document fraud.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Postville_Raid>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
deskfast:
Breakfast eaten at work, particularly while sitting at a desk.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/deskfast>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
A libertarian is a person who believes that no one has the right, under
any circumstances, to initiate force against another human being, or to
advocate or delegate its initiation. Those who act consistently with
this principle are libertarians, whether they realize it or not. Those
who fail to act consistently with it are not libertarians, regardless of
what they may claim.
--L. Neil Smith
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/L._Neil_Smith>
FC Barcelona is a professional football club, based in Barcelona,
Catalonia, Spain. Founded in 1899 by a group of Swiss, English and
Catalan footballers led by Joan Gamper, the club has become a symbol of
Catalan culture and Catalanism, hence the motto "Més que un club" (More
than a club). The official Barça anthem is the "Cant del Barça"
written by Jaume Picas and Josep Maria Espinàs. Unlike many other
football clubs, the supporters own and operate Barcelona. It is the
world's second richest football club in terms of revenue, with an annual
turnover of €398 million. The club holds a long-standing rivalry with
Real Madrid, and matches between the two teams are referred to as "El
Clásico". They are the current European football champions, and have
won 21 La Liga, 25 Copa del Rey, 10 Supercopa de España, 3 Copa Eva
Duarte and 2 Copa de la Liga trophies, and are the record holder for the
latter four competitions. In international club football Barcelona have
won four UEFA Champions League, a record four UEFA Cup Winners' Cup,
four UEFA Super Cup, a record three Inter-Cities Fairs Cup and a record
two FIFA Club World Cup trophies.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Futbol_Club_Barcelona>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1745:
War of the Austrian Succession: French forces defeated the
Anglo-Dutch-Hanoverian "Pragmatic Army" at the Battle of Fontenoy in the
Austrian Netherlands in present day Belgium.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Fontenoy>
1812:
In the lobby of the British House of Commons, Spencer Perceval
became the first, and to date only, British Prime Minister to be
assassinated.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spencer_Perceval>
1894:
In response to a 28 percent wage cut, 4,000 Pullman Palace Car
Company workers went on a strike in Illinois, bringing traffic west of
Chicago to a halt.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pullman_Strike>
1910:
Glacier National Park, located in the U.S. state of Montana,
was designated a national park.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glacier_National_Park_(U.S.)>
1985:
During an association football match between Bradford City and
Lincoln City in Bradford, England, a flash fire consumed one side of the
Valley Parade stadium, killing 56 attendees.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bradford_City_stadium_fire>
1997:
Deep Blue became the first computer to win a match against a
world chess champion, when it defeated Garry Kasparov in six games.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deep_Blue_(chess_computer)>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
atheophobia:
Fear or hatred of atheism or atheists.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/atheophobia>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Our imagination is stretched to the utmost, not, as in fiction, to
imagine things which are not really there, but just to comprehend those
things which are there.
--Richard Feynman
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Richard_Feynman>
The Qayen earthquake was a major earthquake that struck Northern Iran's
Khorasan Province on May 10, 1997. The largest in the area since 1990,
it measured 7.3 on the moment magnitude scale and was centered
approximately 270 kilometers (170 mi) south of Mashhad on the village
of Ardekul. The third earthquake that year to cause severe damage, it
devastated the Birjand–Qayen region, killing 1,567 and injuring over
2,300. The earthquake—which left 50,000 homeless and damaged or
destroyed over 15,000 homes—was described as the deadliest of 1997 by
the United States Geological Survey. Some 155 aftershocks caused
further destruction and drove away survivors. The earthquake was later
discovered to have been caused by a rupture along a fault that runs
underneath the Iran–Afghanistan border. Damage was eventually
estimated at $100 million, and many countries responded to the
emergency with donations of blankets, tents, clothing, and food. Rescue
teams were also dispatched to assist local volunteers in finding
survivors trapped under the debris. The destruction around the
earthquake's epicenter was, in places, almost total; this has been
attributed to poor construction practices, and imparted momentum to a
growing movement for changes in building codes. With 1 in 3,000 deaths
in Iran attributable to earthquakes, one expert has suggested that a
country-wide rebuilding program would be needed to address the ongoing
public safety concerns.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1997_Qayen_earthquake>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1775:
American Revolutionary War: Delegates from the Thirteen
Colonies met in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to convene the Second
Continental Congress, which would serve as the de facto national
government of the future United States.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Continental_Congress>
1824:
The National Gallery in London opened to the public, in the
former townhouse of the collector John Julius Angerstein.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Gallery>
1833:
Le Van Khoi broke out of prison to start a revolt against
Vietnamese Emperor Minh Mạng, primarily to avenge the desecration of
the grave of his adopted father Lê Văn Duyệt, former viceroy of the
southern part of Vietnam.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/L%C3%AA_V%C4%83n_Kh%C3%B4i_revolt>
1849:
A personal dispute between actors Edwin Forrest and William
Macready in New York City devolved into a riot that left at least 25
dead and more than 120 injured.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Astor_Place_Riot>
1941:
World War II: Nazi leader Rudolf Hess parachuted into Scotland,
claiming to be on a peace mission.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rudolf_Hess>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
cymotrichous:
(anthropology) Having wavy hair.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/cymotrichous>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
The most important of my achievements, if you want to call them that,
was that I successfully introduced mystical ideas into pop culture, …
I wanted to save our culture from the stupidity and the bigotry and the
ignorance that threatened it.
--Donovan
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Donovan>